best life environment projects 2009
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LIFE (“The Financial Instrument for the Environment”) is a programme launched by the European Commission and co-ordinated by the Environment Directorate-General (LIFE Units - E.3. and E.4.).TRANSCRIPT
Best LIFE Environment Projects 2009
European CommissionEnvironment Directorate-General
LIFE (“The Financial Instrument for the Environment”) is a programme launched by the European Commission and co-ordinated
by the Environment Directorate-General (LIFE Units - E.3. and E.4.).
The content of the publication “Best LIFE Environment Projects 2009” does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the institu-
tions of the European Union.
Authors: Gabriella Camarsa (Technical expert), Justin Toland, Wendy Jones, Jon Eldridge, Tim Hudson, Edward Thorpe, Stephen
Gardner. Editorial department: Christophe Thèvignot. Managing Editor: Hervé Martin, European Commission, Environment DG,
LIFE E.4 – BU-9, 02/1, 200 rue de la Loi, B-1049 Brussels. LIFE Focus series coordination: Simon Goss (LIFE Communications
Co-ordinator), Evelyne Jussiant (DG Environment Communications Co-ordinator). Production: Monique Braem (AEIDL). Graphic
design: Daniel Renders, Anita Cortés (AEIDL). Technical assistance (Astrale GEIE): Nicolas Tavitian, Tiziana Nadalutti, Peter Karsch,
Mathilde Snel, Filipa Ferrao, Thomas Mayer, Inta Duce, Pekka Hänninen, Mariona Salvatella, Christina Marouli, Claudia Pfiirrmann.
The following people also worked on this issue: Federico Nogara, Alban De-Villepin, Santiago Urquijo-Zamora, Arnoud Heeres,
Martin Petrytll, Ester Pozo-Vera, Ines Zimmerman, Alexis Tsalas, Stefan Welin (Environment DG, LIFE Environment and Eco-inno-
vation). Acknowledgements: Thanks to all LIFE project beneficiaries who contributed comments, photos and other useful material
for this report. Photos: Cover: LIFE05 ENV/RO/000106, LIFE05 ENV/DK/000155, LIFE06 ENV/NL/000178, LIFE06 ENV/L/000121.
Inside: unless otherwise specified, photos are from the respective projects. This publication is published in English with a print of
3 000 copies and is also available online.
More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (http://europa.eu).
Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2010
ISBN 978-92-79-16577-1 doi 10.2779/53035
© European Union, 2010
Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.
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Selecting the ‘Best of the Best’ (BoB) LIFE Environment Projects has become almost a habit, as it is already the sixth year that
these awards have taken place. The aim is to put the focus on those projects that are just that little bit better than the rest and
can act as an example to others of what a successful, innovative, well-designed and well-executed project should look like.
The same procedure as usual has been applied. Following an initial review carried out by its external monitoring team, the
Commission selected the 23 most outstanding LIFE Environment Projects. The Member States then reviewed these projects,
using criteria focusing on real environmental benefit, long-term sustainability, transferability and innovativeness. This selection
process resulted in a “top five”, consisting of projects from diverse sectors, including: wastewater treatment, biogas produc-
tion, cold storage technology, steel manufacturing, and the introduction of environmentally-friendly technologies in watershed
management plans.
Together with “trainee” Chloé Besnard, I took up the co-ordination of this selection process, but most of the work has been
done by my participating colleagues from 22 other Member States. Besides their work as National Focal Points they are will-
ing to take up these evaluations and I would like to thank them all. I’m very happy to see that more and more National Focal
Points are participating and maintaining their engagement, making the work easier and more valuable. I hope they will stay
convinced – as I am – that by reading the actual results of those excellent projects, they can pass on this knowledge to new
applicants, resulting into what LIFE+ is today: a very well managed programme, converting its funding as efficiently as possible
into meaningful projects.
To shine a spotlight on all 23 Best Projects, the European Commission’s LIFE Unit organised a well-attended award presentation
session during Green Week in Brussels on 02 June 2010. I would also like to thank the project beneficiaries and their partners
for their excellent work in favour of the environment.
The higher profile that the Best Projects receive through these awards ensures that more people know about the LIFE+ pro-
gramme and the projects it sponsors. I hope that these awards continue into the future and continue to grow in stature and
range in the coming years.
Herlinde Vanhoutt
LIFE Environment “Best of the Best” coordinator 2009-2010
Belgian Federal Public Service “Health,
Food Chain Safety and Environment”
Herlinde Vanhoutte
Best LIFE Environment Projects 2009 I p. �
“Best of the Best” projects
Introduction .........................3
Land-use development and planning ................... 4
EnviFriendly:
Reducing pollution from
agricultural lands ..................5
NoMEPorts:
Making a racket about
noise pollution in ports .........8
AIR-AWARE:
LIFE support breathes
better air into Bucharest .......9
GESMOPOLI:
A model for sustainable
mobility for industrial
estates ................................10
TREASURE:
Urban run-off water
treatment in Denmark .........11
Water management ........ 12
WET:
Improving wastewater treat-
ment in line with the WFD ....13
PERBIOF:
Innovative ‘fill and draw’
biofilter improves wastewater
treatment efficiency ............16
AGWAPLAN:
LIFE combating agricultural
eutrophication in Denmark .17
TOPPS: Keeping on top
of point source pollution .....18
INSIMEP:
In-situ remedies for
contaminated groundwater .19
Minimising the impact of economic activities .... 20
HVD:
Physical de-scaling in the
metal industry .....................21
OZONECIP:
Where ozone makes good
environmental headlines .....25
Brine Recovery:
Reducing the need for
new salt in polycarbonate
production ..........................26
VOCless pulping:
Reducing emissions from
mechanical pulping ............27
Waste management ....... 28
MICROPHILOX:
Energy recovery from
landfill biogas .....................29
BASHYCAT:
Eco-industrial partnership for
recycling of used catalysts ..32
ZERO PLUS:
Combining BATs to reduce
liquid effluent to zero ..........35
OIL PRODIESEL:
Adding value to household
waste cooking oil ................36
CONWASTE:
Demonstrating green sealing
of landfill sites in Germany ....37
Integrated Product Policy ............................. 38
HEIGHT:
Optimal cooling of fresh
fruit without HFCs ..............39
Green Bearings:
Developing a new generation
of eco-friendly bearings ......40
SAPID:
Preventing GMO
contamination of crops .......41
EFFENERGY:
Insulating against climate
change ................................42
Available LIFE
publications .......................43
Land-use development and planning
EnviFriendly Greece
NoMEPorts The Netherlands
AIR-AWARE Romania
GESMOPOLI Spain
TREASURE Denmark
Water managementWET The Netherlands
PERBIOF Italy
AGWAPLAN Denmark
TOPPS Belgium
INSIMEP Belgium
Minimising the impact of economic activities HVD Germany
OZONECIP Spain
Brine Recovery The Netherlands
VOCless pulping Finland
Waste managementMICROPHILOX Spain
BASHYCAT France
ZERO PLUS Spain
OIL PRODIESEL Portugal
CONWASTE Germany
Integrated Product Policy HEIGHT The Netherlands
Green Bearings The Netherlands
SAPID Italy
EFFERNERGY Luxembourg
Best LIFE Environment Projects 2009 I p. �
The 23 winners were presented with
awards by Hervé Martin, the LIFE Envi-
ronment and Eco-innovation Head of
Unit, at a special awards ceremony
held in Brussels during Green Week
2010. Mr Martin observed that resource
efficiency, water efficiency and the
management of waste and water fea-
tured strongly among this year’s selec-
tion and said that these will continue
to be priorities for LIFE+ programme
co-funding. The concept of resource
efficiency is also one of the three main
priorities identified by Janez Potočnik,
the new European Commissioner for
the Environment. (The other priorities
are biodiversity and the implementation
and enforcement of European environ-
mental legislation.)
Selection criteria
The sixth Best LIFE Environment
Projects exercise is the product of an
established identification and evalu-
ation process based on a set of best
practice criteria. The projects cover all
of LIFE Environment’s main themes:
land-use development and planning;
water management; minimising the
impact of economic activities; waste
management; and Integrated Product
Policy (IPP).
The objective of the exercise is to help
improve the transmission of LIFE Envi-
ronment project results by using a set
of criteria to identify those projects with
the highest potential for long-term envi-
ronmental improvement. From the 23
projects that concluded in 2009, and
that have been selected as ‘best’ proj-
ects, five have been awarded the title,
‘Best of the Best’.
Scoring of completed LIFE Environ-
ment projects was launched in the
summer of 2004. After a meeting at
The Hague in May 2004, a set of ‘best
practice’ criteria was developed by the
Commission in co-operation with the
Member States. These criteria included:
projects’ contribution to immediate and
long-term environmental, economic
and social improvements; their degree
of innovation and transferability; their
relevance to policy; and their cost-
effectiveness. ‘Beneficiaries’, or project
holders, are also required to provide an
‘After-LIFE Communication Plan’ and
an analysis of the long-term benefits of
the project with their final report. This
information forms an integral part of the
evaluation process.
Projects were initially technically
assessed by the LIFE Unit’s exter-
nal monitoring team, provided by the
Astrale consortium. The monitors
ranked all the projects that ended by
December 2009 to produce a first list.
The final selection was undertaken by
the Member States under the co-ordi-
nation of Herlinde Vanhoutte, using
the agreed set of criteria to identify the
projects to receive awards.
IntroductionFor the last six years, EU Member States represented on the LIFE Committee and the European
Commission’s LIFE Unit have selected the Best LIFE Environment Projects for special attention.
For the year 2009, Member States chose 23 projects that represent the most recent successful
LIFE Environment Projects in terms of their contribution to immediate and long-term environmen-
tal, economic and social improvements; degree of innovation and transferability; relevance to
policy; and cost-effectiveness. These projects are featured in this publication.
The 23 Best LIFE Environment
Projects 2009
“Best of the Best” projects
The winners of the Best LIFE Environment 2009 awards held as part of the EU’s Green Week. The ceremony provided an opportunity to reward the most successful recent LIFE projects and highlight their achievements
LIFE
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5
The Commission ensures that Member States take environmental concerns into
account when putting together their land use development plans, through the Thematic
Strategy on the Urban Environment, the Directive on Environment Impact Assessment
(EIA) for projects, and the Directive on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)
for plans and programmes, in addition to initiatives such as INSPIRE (Infrastructure
for Spatial InfoRmation in Europe) and GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and
Security).
These tools and initiatives all emphasise the need to harmonise a large number of
cross-cutting environmental issues, such as air, water and soil protection; urban
management and governance; integrated spatial planning; habitat conservation; eco-
nomic competitiveness; and social inclusion.
In order to achieve sustainable and successful land-use planning and development,
an integrated approach built upon cross-departmental and sector co-operation with
all relevant stakeholders and integration of local, regional and national policies must
be adopted.
Land-use development and planning
Pho
to: E
rwyn
van
der
Mee
r
Best LIFE Environment Projects 2009 I p. �
Soil and groundwater pollution from
agriculture and related activities is
becoming an area of increasing public
and regulatory concern. Groundwater
contamination can have significant
negative impacts on human health
and ecological systems. The area tar-
geted by the EnviFriendly project, in
the eight municipalities of the region
of Sparta, is characterised by agri-
cultural activities (predominantly olive
and orange groves) and their related
industrial processes (olive mills and
orange juice factories) that are car-
ried out by small-scale, family-owned
businesses. These small-scale busi-
nesses find it difficult to invest in envi-
ronmental technologies to mitigate the
impact of their agricultural practices,
which have caused excessive nitrate
and pesticide pollution in the soil and
waters of the region.
With the EnviFriendly project, the pre-
fecture of Lakonia decided to select
and design technologies for the mini-
misation of non-point source pollu-
tion from agricultural lands. However,
the Lakonia prefecture stressed how
their implementation should not be
carried out with a surgical approach,
but, that they should be conducted in
conjunction with the development of
river basin management plans (RBMP)
and remedial actions to improve the
quality of surface, ground and coastal
waters. By integrating agriculture
with water policy, the project is also
fully in line with the Water Frame-
work Directive (WFD) (2000/60/EC)
as it foresees the necessity to inte-
grate activities on different horizon-
tal issues whilst ensuring coherence
amongst policies.
tally friendly techniques in the water-
shed management plan as it is a tem-
porary river that is more sensitive to
extreme climatic conditions (droughts
and floods) and development of the
plans is more difficult to implement,”
says Vassilis Papadoulakis of the
Lakonia prefecture.
Natural attenuation of pollution
The first method that
was applied by the LIFE
project was Monitored
Natural Attenuation
(MNA), a remediation
technology based on
understanding and moni-
toring the naturally occurring
processes that destroy or immobi-
lise contaminants at a contaminated
site. The project established monitor-
ing stations to check the hydrological
and physico-chemical parameters in
the river basin. A risk assessment of
This Greek project mobilised local authorities and communities to implement environmentally
friendly technologies for the minimisation of non-point source pollution from agricultural lands
and their integration in the watershed management plan of the Evrotas river basin and its coastal
zone.
Land-use development and planning
EnviFriendly strategies
The EnviFriendly project consisted
of two distinct and complementary
strategies. The first strategy was to
demonstrate a series of methods and
technologies that would reduce agri-
cultural pollution from point and non-
point sources in an environmentally
friendly way.
The second strategy dealt with the
social aspects of the region, aiming
to identify potential changes in man-
agement practices towards sustain-
able development. By ensuring the
involvement of all stakeholders and
the buy-in of the farmers, the project
wanted to ensure their collaboration in
the development of the RBMP, ensur-
ing the best use of water resources
and the sustainable growth of the
region.
“The Evrotas river basin was selected
for the integration of the environmen-
EnviFriendly: Reducing pollution from agricultural lands
BEST OF TH
E BE
ST 2009
Phytoremediation with poplar trees achieved a reduction of nitrate loads in the waste-water of 80%
environmental stresses was carried
out and modelling scenarios con-
ducted. The natural ability of the river
basin to reduce the intensity of pollu-
tion - attenuation - was monitored and
recorded and it was found to be able
to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus
loads by 96% and 98% respectively.
Wells were installed at two drainage
canal sites at Skala-Vasilopotamos
and systematic sampling of sediment,
reeds, and ground and surface waters
took place. Drainage canals decrease
the levels of nitrates through denitrifi-
cation and plant uptake and are also
where plants - such as common reeds
- grow. Appropriate management of
the reeds resulted in the minimisa-
tion of nitrate pollution loads to sur-
face waters. Poplar trees, planted in
the riparian zones of the river, also
decreased nutrient loads through
uptake and enhanced denitrification.
The project also demonstrated phytore-
mediation in conjunction with river bank
erosion controls as a combined remedi-
ation tool for non-point source pollution
of nutrients. The main objective was to
apply environmentally friendly solutions
that will gradually merge into the natural
environment and retain the equilibrium
of the ecosystem. Results suggested
Land-use development and planning
The EnviFriendly project designed technologies for the minimisation of non-point source pollution from agricultural land, such as olive groves
One of the methods filtered olive wastewater before naturally degrading the wastewater
that, with the appropriate management
of reeds, approximately 77% of nitrate
nitrogen and all phosphorus entering
the drainage canal would be removed
by plant uptake.
Managing waste from the olive industry
Pollutants enter the river basin from
the area’s 168 olive mills, 91 of which
are located in the Evrotas river catch-
ment area. These mills produce both
olive oil (20 445 tonnes/yr) and table
olives. They generate 60 000 m3/yr
of wastewater, 57 384 tonnes/yr of
wet waste, and 6 337 tonnes/yr of
phenolic compounds. Most mills are
family-owned and small, and the area
lacks a centralised wastewater treat-
ment facility. Consequently, olive mill
wastewater is disposed of directly into
the Evrotas river.
Prototype units for treating waste from
local olive oil mills and the wastewa-
ter from table olive producers were
tested:
l One approach filtered olive waste-
water before releasing the liquid
residue into a newly planted area
of poplar trees to be naturally
degraded. Organic matter from the
wastewater was not found below 80
cm deep and did not enter ground-
water reservoirs. As the poplars
and their root system grew, phy-
toremediation achieved a reduction
of nitrate loads in the wastewater of
80%;
l A second technique used lime to
help separate solid and liquid par-
ticles before composting the solid
part and mixing the liquid with
clean water. Both were then used on
agricultural land, increasing yields of
maize; and
Best LIFE Environment Projects 2009 I p. �
l The third approach used electroly-
sis to treat wastewater with high
biological oxygen demand (BOD)
from processing olives in brine. This
reduced the BOD content by 50%.
A report on the demonstration and
evaluation of the agricultural waste
management technologies was
produced and included suggested
amendments that could make the
tested technologies even more effec-
tive. Based on the pilots, the Lakonia
prefecture established a list of 10
‘EnviFriendly’ techniques (see project
website for more details). The prefec-
ture said that it would grant annual
permits to olive oil mill owners only if
they would adopt one of these tech-
niques to control wastewater. The pre-
fecture further committed to defining
limits of pollutants that can be legally
discharged in water bodies, in line
with efforts to implement the WFD.
Successful stakeholder involvement
The second project strategy empha-
sised the need to facilitate the interac-
tion between farmers and stakehold-
ers. The objective was to determine a
Project Number:
LIFE05 ENV/GR/000245
Title: Environmental Friendly
Technologies for Rural Development
Beneficiary: Prefecture of Lakonia
Contact: Dimitros Liakakos
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.envifriendly.tuc.gr
Period: Dec-2005 To May-2009
Total Budget: e2 194 000
LIFE Contribution: e1 096 000
Thanks to LIFE funding the the Evrotas river basin will achieve by 2015 the “good eco-logical status” objectives foreseen by the WFD
common basis for the management of
natural resources in a sustainable way.
A series of meetings was organised
in five municipalities in which local
authorities, large olive oil producers,
farmers and their unions examined
the following aspects that were then
inserted in the management plan:
l Changing the existing cultivation to
more dynamic and less water-inten-
sive;
l Changing some of the riparian uses
to more ecological ones;
l Gradual adaptation of organic ways
of production, which that may lead
to new markets (Protected Destina-
tion of Origin (PDO) as well as the
Protection of Geographical Indica-
tion (PGI) and decrease in the use of
fertiliser and chemical pollution;
l Development of less polluting indus-
trial processes of agricultural prod-
ucts; and
l Development of ecotourism pro-
jects.
EnviFriendly’s wider impact
The final integrated management plan
for the Evrotas river basin took into
account all the identified environmen-
tal and socio-economic elements. It
had six axes covering: agricultural
development; drinking water; irriga-
tion; pollution reduction; flood and
drought response; and biodiversity
protection. A Local Development
Observatory was officially estab-
lished in Lakonia to ensure its effec-
tive implementation.
EnviFriendly has also contributed
to Greece’s first Integrated Water
Resources Management Plan. The
Central Water Agency of Greece’s
Environment Ministry nominated the
Evrotas basin for the EU Pilot River
Basin (PRB)-Agriculture network. The
Lakonia prefecture states confidently
that the Evrotas river basin will achieve
by 2015 the “good ecological status”
objectives foreseen by the WFD.
The project has empowered the local
authorities to take actions, ensuring
in this way the sustainability of the
outcomes. The Prefecture of Lakonia
has become a prototype prefecture
for water management in Greece,
having developed the country’s first
comprehensive management plan
for water resources, according to the
Central Water Agency. The results of
this project are readily transferable
to other regions of Greece and other
Mediterranean countries. Further-
more, the beneficiary’s participation
in the Pilot River Basins (PRB-AGRI)
consortium ensures the dissemina-
tion of knowledge derived in the LIFE
project to other EU countries.
Project Number:
LIFE05 ENV/NL/000018
Title: Noise Management in European
Ports
Beneficiary:
Port of Amsterdam
Contact: Ton van Breemen
Email:
Website:
http://nomeports.ecoports.com
Period: Mar-2005 to Aug-2008
Total Budget: e1 503 000
LIFE Contribution: e708 000
Land-use development and planning
The NoMEPorts project (Noise Management in European Ports) demonstrated a noise mapping
and management system that enables evidence-based operational and environmental manage-
ment and planning in ports to reduce noise pollution. It showed an innovative specific use of a
new EU noise calculation method and database developed in EU research projects.
NoMEPorts: Making a racket about noise pollution in ports
The EU Directive 2002/49/EC on
the Assessment and Management
of Environmental Noise (EU Noise
Directive) requires that industrial port
areas near large agglomerations are
included in noise maps drawn up
by competent authorities. The LIFE
NoMEPorts project sought to meet
the challenge of identifying how best
to map and manage noise in ports
characterised by both industrial and
traffic activity.
The project, led by the Port of Amster-
dam, started with the founding of local
workgroups in six ports, in five EU
countries. These contained selected
local experts on noise pollution, the
competent local authorities and rel-
evant local industries. The project
trained them to operate the noise
mapping and management software.
Once trained, the groups examined
the geographic and meteorological
characteristics of each port, defin-
ing its boundaries and which noise
sources to map. Additional informa-
tion was collected on future spatial
planning. The working groups then
took responsibility for carrying out
an inventory of local noise situations,
studies and complaints from port and
municipality archives.
The activities enabled the teams to
create local noise maps and acoustic
models showing the noise generation
and related annoyance caused to peo-
ple living around ports. The maps pro-
vided five levels of complexity, from a
general overview down to the noise
coming from specific activities, ships
on the quay and industrial facilities.
An inventory of technical and spatial
planning solutions to reduce noise
was carried out. By analysing the
noise maps and discussing these
potential solutions, each workgroup
drew up an action plan to combat the
negative impact of noise in its own
port. The plans aimed to improve the
balance between environmental pro-
tection and economic activities. The
plan for Amsterdam, for instance, set
out actions to reduce noise pollution
by 30%.
Pooling the ports’ knowledge
A central workgroup meeting enabled
each workgroup to share its experi-
ences. They jointly analysed the con-
tent of the action plans and the way
they were created as well as the costs
and effects of noise mitigation meas-
ures and how to count the people
affected by noise. The project’s noise
management software was optimised
based on these exchanges.
The major output of the project was
a ‘Good Practice Guide on Port Area
Noise Mapping and Management’.
This establishes a six-step methodol-
ogy for the cost-effective and efficient
creation of noise maps and mitigation
action plans for ports. It includes rec-
ommendations for specification of the
EU Noise Directive to create a com-
mon harmonised approach to noise
management in EU ports.
The results were disseminated among
the members of EcoPorts, a network
of more than 150 ports. Furthermore,
the system should be applicable in
other ‘simpler’ industrial sectors and
to the management of other signifi-
cant port environmental issues such
as air quality. A new project proposal
to test this broader use is planned.
The noise mitigation action plan for Amsterdam set out actions to reduce noise pollution by 30%
Project Number:
LIFE05 ENV/RO/000106
Title: Air Pollution Impact Surveil-
lance and Warning System for Urban
Environment
Beneficiary: National Administration
of Meteorology
Contact: Mihaela Caian
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://life-airaware.inmh.ro
Period: Nov-2005 to Oct-2008
Total Budget: e1 113 000
LIFE Contribution: e460 000
Best LIFE Environment Projects 2009 I p. �
AIR-AWARE: LIFE support breathes better air into Bucharest Romanian meteorology authorities have made effective use of LIFE support to co-finance essen-
tial new air quality monitoring and management systems that are being used to improve the qual-
ity of life for Bucharest’s two million inhabitants.
Air quality is a vital part of our planet’s
life support system and for many years
the EU has been actively working with
Member States to help improve the
quality of Europe’s air. Such actions
remain increasingly important as pres-
sures from the likes of traffic-related
pollution and expanding urban or
industrial developments continue to
adversely contaminate the air that we
all rely on.
In response to these growing concerns,
the EU has established a framework
directive on urban air quality manage-
ment as part of its strategy for improv-
ing air quality. The legislation requires
cities to implement strict pollution
monitoring standards and imposes a
duty on authorities to prepare action
plans for tackling air quality problems.
All EU metropolitan areas over 200 000
inhabitants must comply with the direc-
tive and LIFE co-finance was used in
the Romanian capital, Bucharest, to
help the city introduce a state-of-the-
art air quality management system.
Launched in 2005, as part of the coun-
try’s EU membership process, this AIR-
AWARE project amalgamated Bucha-
rest’s key environmental stakeholders
and resulted in a highly successful
sustainable development tool that
continues to be used for monitoring,
modelling and managing air quality in
the Romanian capital.
Better air for Bucharest
Some 10% of the country’s population
is estimated to live in Bucharest and
these two million people have suffered
from a variety of different atmospheric
pollutants caused by emissions from
outdated power plants, heavy industry
and intense traffic. The latter has been
considered responsible for around
70% of the city’s total pollution.
Prior to LIFE’s intervention, air qual-
ity monitoring systems in Bucharest
were limited. AIR-AWARE’s ‘Air Pollu-
tion Impact Surveillance and Warning
System for Urban Environment’ uses
data from the LIFE-funded monitoring
equipment, which scans and analyses
air samples from different locations
and altitudes to provide a 3D map of
real-time emissions over the city. Eight
fixed-position monitoring units were
included in the LIFE project and these
are supported by several mobile emis-
sion monitoring stations that can be
moved to analyse problems in particu-
lar hot-spot zones.
All data are fed into a GIS platform,
which provides forecasts and dynamic
mapping material for decision-mak-
ers in the municipal authorities. Users
of the system, which has been fully
operational since early 2009, wel-
come the improvements and note
how the AIR-AWARE technology pro-
vides more detailed information that
allows easier forecasting, as well as
daily health recommendations based
on the air quality status.
Broader benefits
In addition to its day-to-day monitoring
applications, the AIR-AWARE system
has been used to inform the design of
the city’s 2010 urban development plan
and also played a central role during the
development of an ‘Air Quality Man-
agement Programme for Bucharest’.
This facilitates compliance with the EU
directive and aims to reduce the city’s
air contamination load by 50%, lead-
ing to predicted economic savings in
excess of €175 000/yr and significant
benefits for biodiversity, built infrastruc-
ture and public health.
LIFE-funded monitoring equipment scans and analyses air samples from different locations providing a 3D map of real-time emissions over the city of Bucharest
Project Number:
LIFE05 ENV/E/000262
Title: Integral mobility management in
industrial estates and areas
(GESMOPOLI)
Beneficiary:
The Diputació de Barcelona
(Barcelona Provincial Council)
Contact: Domènec Cucurull
Descàrrega
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.gesmopoli.net
Period: Nov-2005 to Oct-2008
Total Budget: e1 441 000
LIFE Contribution: e721 000
Land-use development and planning
GESMOPOLI: A model for sustainable mobility for industrial estatesMany regions of Europe, especially those with a long industrial history, have a high density of
businesses and employees located in particular zones. In the majority of cases, these industrial
estates have been developed without adequate planning for public transport. This is the case in
the Catalonia region of Spain, where a LIFE project has established a model for more sustainable
transport for six industrial estates.
Transport to and from the workplace
currently generates considerable
costs in environmental, economic
and social terms. Private car usage
is particularly high in Catalonia, with
around 52% of workers using their
private vehicles for journeys to and
from the workplace. The project’s
aim therefore, was to promote a
methodology for more sustainable
transport suitable for six different
industrial estates (varied both in
terms of economic activities and in
their locations).
The participating industrial estates
were: El Pla (el Baix Llobregat
region), Santiga (Vallès Occiden-
tal) and el Beuló (Osona) located in
the province of Barcelona; Girona
Airport; and el Segre and Agroreus
in the provinces of Lleida and Tar-
ragona, respectively. These areas
all lacked overall mobility planning,
although some of the estates had
carried out sporadic activities target-
ing more sustainable transport solu-
tions. Other relevant aspects were
the inclusion of estates of different
sizes and with different economic
activities. Examples include: the El
Beuló estate (services), the Agroreus
estate (agricultural) and Girona Air-
port (work centre).
Having identified the main transport
problems, a consensus was sought
among all stakeholders on the
project’s proposals for more sustain-
able solutions. Examples included
persuading employees to abandon
their cars in favour of other solutions
such as carpooling, or using buses. A
management system for sustainable
mobility was set up and awareness-
raising activities were carried out to
encourage behavioural changes by
the workers and managers on the
industrial estates. The sharing of
experiences with all the stakehold-
ers gave added value to the mobility
management guidelines produced. A
new post of ‘mobility manager’ was
created to co-ordinate actions.
Free bus tickets
Pilot actions were carried out at each
of the six project sites, including the
distribution of free bus tickets to pro-
mote public transport, the addition
of zebra crossings and other meas-
ures to improve pedestrian safety,
and communication of the benefits of
car pooling and alternative modes of
transport. These actions also helped
to improve accessibility, safety and
mobility guidelines.
Key deliverables are available from the
project website (below): these include
mobility plans for the six estates, a
comparative study, “Guide for the Crea-
tion and Start Up of the Mobility Pacts”,
the “Mobility Managers Manual”, and
the “Integrated Management of mobil-
ity in industrial estates and areas”.
The project is now looking to transfer
the management expertise gained to
other industrial estates both in Spain
and elsewhere. In the medium-to-long-
term the project is also confident of
achieving reductions in primary energy
consumption, atmospheric emissions,
noise pollution and land occupancy by
transport infrastructure.
GESMOPOLI set up a management sys-tem for sustainable mobility. Awareness-raising activities were also carried out to encourage people working on industrial estates to change their behaviour
Project Number:
LIFE06 ENV/DK/000229
Title: Treatment and re-use of urban
stormwater runoff by innovative
technologies for removal of pollutants
Beneficiary: Silkeborg Spildevand
Contact: Jan Pederson
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.life-treasure.com
Period: Oct-2006 to Oct-2009
Total Budget: e3 932 000
LIFE Contribution: e1 966 000
Best LIFE Environment Projects 2009 I p. ��
TREASURE: Urban run-off water treatment in DenmarkThe TREASURE project demonstrated treatment methodologies for significantly reducing the pol-
lutant content of urban run-off water. Some polluting substances were reduced by as much as
99% and others by more than 80%.
Urban run-off water, which can be
particularly polluting and is largely
untreated, has not hitherto been the
subject of much research. A Danish
project sought to address this issue,
however, by bringing together three
Danish water companies and two Dan-
ish universities.
The treatment of rainwater run-off
presents three technical challenges:
l Rainwater comes in bursts and nor-
mal municipal wastewater treatment
plants cannot cope with occasional
large volumes;
l The pollutants in rainwater are mostly
inorganic; and
l Many pollutants are dissolved in the
water and are not removed by tradi-
tional technologies. Moreover, they are
also the most mobile and most easily
taken up by plants and animals.
As part of an initiative to treat storm
water run-off, the project constructed
three detention ponds in the urban
environments of Odense, Silkeborg,
and Århus. These were designed not
only to remove small particles and
colloidal and soluble bound pollut-
ants from the surface waters collected
from the catchment area, but also to
be attractive showpieces as part of the
local urban landscape. The ponds were
equipped with facilities for online moni-
toring of the treatment performance.
Effective treatments
The most effective treatment process
for reducing a broad range of dissolved
and colloidal pollutants in the storm
water run-off was found to be the wet
retention pond with a sand filter and
fixed-media absorption filter. While
plants contributed only marginally to
the cleaning processes, they ensured
that the site became an integrated rec-
reational area.
The fixed-media absorption technol-
ogy proved very efficient at managing
high loads of dissolved heavy metals,
allowing very low outlet concentra-
tions regardless of the initial level of
pollution. For all measured pollutants,
the outlet concentration was consist-
ently below the relevant water quality
criteria. Copper was reduced from an
average of 310 μg/l down to 4 μg/l, cor-
responding to an overall removal rate of
99%. Phosphorous was reduced from
0.27 to 0.025 mg/l, corresponding to an
overall removal rate of 91%.
The process of iron enrichment of the
bottom sediments and the dosing of alu-
minium to enhance coagulation/floccu-
lation was not found to result in a general
decrease in pollutant concentrations,
but such actions did counteract the
growth of algae in the pond, particularly
the aluminium dosing. Such measures
are thus effective for combating phos-
phorous and the consequent eutrophi-
cation of aquatic environments.
Despite the initial set-up costs for these
treatment plants, the results are excel-
lent and cost must be measured against
the current lack of effective treatment
for urban run-off water. Application
is not restricted to a particular urban
context and could also be expanded to
other processes such as the treatment
of contaminated drinking water and
phosphorous-polluted surface waters.
The methodology could play a key role
in implementing the Water Framework
Directive.
A wet retention pond with a sand filter and fixed-media absorption filter was used tore-move pollutants from urban run-off water
Protecting the quality of Europe’s water resources has been a high priority for
the European Union (EU) since it started adopting legislation in the area of envi-
ronmental protection. It is a precondition for human, animal and plant life as well
as an indispensable resource for the economy. Water also plays a fundamental
role in the climate regulation cycle.
The Commission’s Water Framework Directive (WFD) of 2000 sets out targets
for Member States to achieve by 2015. The requirements of the WFD form a
co-ordinated water policy together with other EU measures such as the Urban
Waste Water Treatment Directive, the Nitrates Directive and the Directive on
Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC).
Individuals and citizens’ groups have a crucial role to play in achieving these
objectives. River basin management plans that have involved the local com-
munity have boosted a sense of ownership and responsibility for clean and safe
water supplies.
Member States will continue to allocate significant funds for investments aimed
at addressing WFD objectives, including new measures and technologies that
enable sustainable river basin management.
Water management
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The LIFE Environment WET project
was a collaborative venture between
the Rijnland District Water Control
Board (Hoogheemraadschap van
Rijnland), which is responsible for
surface water quality in mid-west
Holland, and STOWA (The Founda-
tion for Applied Water Research),
under the supervision of engineering
consultants, Witteveen + Bos. The
inspiration for the project came from
the EU Water Framework Directive
(WFD), which provides targets for the
protection of surface water, coastal
water and groundwater that are due
to come into force in 2015.
Among the substances targeted by
the WFD are the nutrients nitrogen
(N) and phosphorous (P), which can
cause excessive algal growth when
present in extremely high concen-
trations in surface water, potentially
leading to severe oxygen short-
ages and fish mortalities. A national
screening exercise in the Nether-
lands indicated that modern waste-
water treatment plants were only
able to remove some 80% of N and
P loads. Furthermore, as the water
board’s Jeffrey den Elzen indicates,
“They are not designed at all to
remove priority substances such as
heavy metals, pesticides, medicines
and endocrine disruptors.”
Thus, the aim of the LIFE project was
to investigate the further removal of
nutrients and other pollutants from
wastewater by adding subsequent
treatment stages to existing waste-
water treatment plants.
Testing the technology
The project took place in a specially
constructed covered test area at the
Leiden Zuid-West sewage treatment
plant in Leiden, South Holland. Trials
started in early 2007 and consisted of
two phases:
1. Phase 1 looked at the possibilities
for further removal of N (to below 2.2
mg N/l) and P (to below 0.15 mg P/l)
using various sand filtration
systems.
2. Phase 2 investigated
the use of carbon fil-
tration and oxidation
techniques for remov-
ing heavy metals, pes-
ticides and herbicides,
medicine residues and
endocrine disruptors.
WET: Improving wastewater treatment in line with the WFD This Dutch LIFE project investigated advanced treatment technologies for wastewater. The WET
(Wastewater & Effluent Treatment) project has led to the installation of a full-scale version of the
trial technology at the Leiden-Noord sewage plant in South Holland.
Following successful trials of the technology by the LIFE WET project, this full-scale single-filter continuous sand filtration system was installed at the Leiden-Noord sewage plant. It will keep nitrogen and phosphorous loads within limits set by the Water Framework Directive
BEST OF TH
E BE
ST 2009
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During Phase 1, two test lanes were
built in the test area and connected
to the output of the existing treat-
ment plant. Lane A used a single
continuous sand filter aided by
additives: a source of carbon for
biologically removing nitrogen and
a flocculant for chemically remov-
ing phosphorous. Lane B used
two sand-filtration stages: the first
stage was a continuous sand fil-
ter to remove N; the second stage
employed a double-layer fixed bed
sand filter to remove P.
The results of Phase 1 were very
encouraging, indicating that further
systematic removal of N and P to
below the limit values is feasible
even at higher filtration speeds (up
to 20 m/h). The single-filter concept
was found to perform as well as the
two-filter approach, whilst costing
some 50% less.
Phase 2 of the project tested three
different technologies for removing
the remaining pollutants: activated
carbon filtration; and two oxidation
techniques – ozonisation; and hydro-
gen peroxide with UV light.
With ozonisation, an ozone generator
uses an electrical discharge to con-
vert oxygen molecules (O2) into ozone
molecules (O3). The ozone gas is then
fed into the bottom of the columns so
that gas bubbles can move upwards
through the water, oxidising (i.e. cut-
ting into smaller pieces) substances
that they come in to contact with.
In the advanced oxidation process
using hydrogen peroxide and UV light,
hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is added to
the water. The water is led along two
UV lamps, the light from which ‘acti-
vates’ the H2O2, which then forms
radicals (H2O2 becomes 2OH). These
radicals oxidise substances in the
water, thereby cleaning it.
Activated carbon filtration requires a
filter bed of activated carbon, a sub-
stance with a very porous surface.
Substances that come into contact
with it are often caught in its pores,
meaning that when water is forced
through the filter it comes out clean
the other side.
Results of Phase 2
The three technologies tested in Phase
2 were all found to have certain bene-
fits and drawbacks. Activated carbon
filtration was shown to be effective at
removing some heavy metals, but less
effective with herbicides, pesticides,
medicines and endocrine disruptors.
Initial investment costs for a plant for
100 000 residents are high (€5.6 mil-
lion), but running costs are compara-
tively low, giving a cost per resident
of €8.4 per year. The two oxidation
techniques were both found to be
very effective at removing pesticides,
herbicides, medicines and endocrine
disruptors, with the added benefit
that they can be used for disinfection.
However, it is not possible to remove
Water management
The continuous sand filter is monitored from this control room
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Project Number:
LIFE06 ENV/NL/000167
Title:
Wastewater & Effluent Treatment
Beneficiary: Rijnland District Water
Control Board (Hoogheemraadschap
van Rijnland - HHR)
Contact: Jeffrey den Elzen
Email: [email protected]
Website:
www.rijnland.net/wet-project
Period: Dec-2005 to June-2009
Total Budget: e2 815 000
LIFE Contribution: e1 176 000
heavy metals by oxidation. Of the
two oxidation techniques, ozonisa-
tion offers considerably better value
for money, with a treatment plant for
100 000 residents estimated to cost
€4.2 per resident per year, compared
with €21.9 per resident for one using
hydrogen peroxide/UV.
Putting the results into practice
Following the successful trials of
the LIFE WET project, The Rijnland
District Water Control Board has
implemented a full-scale single-filter
continuous sand filtration process at
its Leiden-Noord sewage plant. This
facility, which treats wastewater for
some 100 000 residents, was built
in the mid-1980s and uses standard
activated sludge treatment as well
as biological phosphorous removal.
Jeffrey den Elzen, who was involved
in designing both the trial and full-
scale technologies, explains that
Leiden-Noord was chosen in prefer-
ence to Leiden Zuid-West because
it was not possible to extend the
conventional water treatment plant
at the former, and the effect on sur-
face water from continuous sand fil-
tration was calculated to be greater.
“A very positive point of the trial was
that we were already using full-size
units. We just added more of them
for a working plant – it was very easy
to scale up,” says Mr. den Elzen.
The sand filtration section, which
uses iron chloride as a flocculant
and acetic acid as a carbon source,
became operational in March 2010.
Leiden-Noord is one of two treatment
plants under the aegis of the Rijnland
District Water Control Board that has
implemented a sand filtration system,
although the only one with a single-
filter concept (Alphen-Noord is using
a two-step process to remove nitro-
gen). “We were planning to add sand
filtration to 12 wastewater treatment
plants, but are now only doing two,
because we saw we could optimise
existing effluent treatment proc-
esses (e.g. through online sensors),”
explains Mr. den Elzen. “Measure-
ment technology has improved a lot
in the last few years.”
Nonetheless, he believes that the
results obtained by the LIFE project
are highly transferable, having gen-
erated a lot of new information and
experience with regard to the further
removal of nitrogen, phosphorous and
other relevant contaminants. “Another
water board has built a double sand
filter at one of its plants. I’m sure this
(single-filter concept) will have spinoffs
within the Netherlands as well,” says
Mr. den Elzen.
Award brings mixed emotions
Collecting the LIFE Environment
‘Best of the Best’ award in Brus-
sels was a time of mixed emotions
for Mr. den Elzen: “When I heard
that we would get this award I was
of course very proud of the project.
On the other hand, there were also a
lot of mixed feelings, because I was
doing this project with my colleague
and friend Wouter Dijksma. Sadly, at
the end of the project he got ill and
in December 2009 he passed away.
As project manager, Wouter played
a very significant role in making the
project a success. It’s a shame he
could not be in Brussels with us to
receive the award.”
Jeffrey den Elzen from the Rijnland District Water Control Board in front of the canal in which treated water from Leiden-Noord is discharged
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Project Number:
LIFE05 ENV/IT/000868
Title: A new technology for treating municipal and/or industrial wastewa-ter with low environmental impact
Beneficiary: Istituto di Ricerca Sulle
Acque Consiglio Nazionale delle
Ricerche
Contact: Claudio Di Iaconi
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.perbiof-europe.com
Period: Nov-2005 to Nov-2008
Total Budget: e625 000
LIFE Contribution: e295 000
Water management
PERBIOF: Innovative ‘fill and draw’ biofilter improves wastewater treatment efficiencyThis Italian LIFE project has developed a new biofilter technology for treating wastewater that
could be 10 times more efficient than conventional systems.
Europe’s homes and businesses pro-
duce vast quantities of wastewater,
which needs to be properly treated.
Treatment standards are control-
led by legislation including the EU’s
Water Framework Directive and Urban
Waster Water Directive. Compliance
with these legal requirements remains
a costly operation for Member States,
and as wastewater volumes continue
to increase, alternative technologies
are required to improve the efficiency
of conventional treatment plants.
An Italian LIFE project has developed
a new type of treatment system that is
capable of significantly improving the
cost-effectiveness and environmen-
tal protection capacity of wastewater
treatment plants throughout Europe.
Implemented by the government’s
National Research Council, this pio-
neering project’s success centres on
an innovative biofilter that is able to
combine multi-treatment phases using
a special ‘fill and draw’ methodology.
Once submerged in the wastewater, the
PERBIOF (PERiodic BIOFilter) technol-
ogy becomes active and assimilates all
phases of a traditional biological treat-
ment process within a single operative
unit. Results of tests during the LIFE
project showed that PERBIOF’s system
was able to remove carbon and nitrogen
in the same treatment tank. This avoids
the need for the extra tanks found in
many existing treatment plants.
Success factors of the new treatment
technology are attributed to PERBIOF’s
use of new biological treatment agents
(i.e. microorganisms) that grow as gran-
ules inside the biofilter. These granules
are up to 10 times more concentrated
than biomass growing in conventional
wastewater treatment plants, which
means that concentrated wastewater
can be treated faster, in smaller reac-
tors and with less solid waste residue
produced.
Significant success
Three years of LIFE co-finance were
provided for the PERBIOF project which
tested the new biofilters in a number of
wastewater environments. Outcomes
from the tests provided consistently
good results and confirmed that the
technology possesses extremely high
depuration efficiencies (up to 10 times
higher than conventional ones). As an
added advantage PERBIOF also pro-
duces very low levels of sludge. Even
in difficult waste streams, such as from
tanneries, the new technology gave
excellent results when used in conjunc-
tion with a chemical oxidation stage to
help transform complex pollutants into
simpler biodegradable compounds.
Gains from the project include: a reduc-
tion in sludge production of up to 90%
in comparison with traditional tech-
nologies; a 50% reduction in treated
effluent toxicity; an 80% reduction in
area required (footprint); a 40% saving
in operating costs; a 70% reduction in
overall environmental impact (resource
use); and a 90% reduction in global
warming contributions
LIFE’s commitment to co-finance this
type of applied research has paid off
well and PERBIOF technology offers
real opportunities for mainstreaming
within wastewater treatment plants
from around the EU and beyond. The
technology’s cost-effectiveness and
appropriateness for small-scale treat-
ments is also particularly attractive for
SMEs and interest has already been
shown in PERBIOF by Italy’s textile
processing industry. Wider uptake is
predicted to follow as the beneficiary
continues to test the new biofilters in
other depuration processes.
The project received an award dur-ing the Italian edition of the European Business Awards for the Environment, which were organised by the Italian Environment Ministry
Project Number:
LIFE05 ENV/DK/000155
Title: Integrated Protection of
Surface and Groundwater in
Agricultural Regions
Beneficiary: Danish Agricultural
Advisory Service, National Centre
Contact: Irene Asta Wiborg
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.agwaplan.dk
Period: Nov-2005 to Mar-2009
Total Budget: e1 982 000
LIFE Contribution: e991 000
Best LIFE Environment Projects 2009 I p. ��
AGWAPLAN: LIFE combating agricultural eutrophication in Denmark Good farming practices and new integrated advisory services have been successfully combined
by a LIFE project to help reduce eutrophication risks in Danish watercourses.
Water quality levels in many Danish
lakes and rivers have been recorded at
levels below the standards anticipated
by the Water Framework Directive
(WFD). For example, previous assess-
ments by regional authorities have
found that only around 12% of lakes
sampled were considered to have
acceptable water quality conditions
and only around half of the sampled
streams met required quality goals.
Eutrophication linked with agriculture
was judged to be a major contributory
factor to the poor water conditions and
LIFE funds were used to demonstrate
how farm-led action can help improve
the quality of Danish water resources.
Led by the Danish Agricultural Advisory
Service, the LIFE AGWAPLAN project
demonstrated and quantified the
impact of good agricultural practices
(GAPs) on reducing nutrient content
on surface and groundwater in three
different pilot areas in eastern Jutland.
This integrated approach was based
on the participation of farmers, envi-
ronmental authorities and agricultural
advisors and researchers. It showed
how farmers can work together with
advisory services and municipalities
to implement WFD objectives within a
collaborative framework.
Core aspects of the project involved
demonstrating the potential of inte-
grated approaches, and incorporating
targeted GAPs for reducing eutrophi-
cation levels. These were developed
by the LIFE project team through
an extensive research exercise that
brought together all available envi-
ronmental knowledge relating to agri-
eutrophication within a comprehensive
GAP manual for farmers. Preparation
of the manual covered a full range of
Danish farm activities and took account
of commercial factors concerning pro-
ductivity gains or losses from the dif-
ferent farming practices.
Pilot farms
Following collation of the proposed
GAPs, the project then tested its
hypotheses in the three different pilot
sites. Located relatively close together
in eastern Jutland, the areas were
selected to provide comparative farm-
based results and also allowed mod-
eling of potential impacts on nitrogen
(N) and phosphorous (P) levels in
watercourses over a larger catchment
scale. Each of the sites was carefully
investigated to identify baseline data
regarding eutrophication levels and
associated use of farm fertilisers.
Pilot versions of the GAP guidance were
applied in practice on the test farms
using the project’s ‘integrated advisory
system’. This novel agri-advisory tool
helped facilitate an agreed eutrophi-
cation management plan for each
farm. The planning process proved
particularly popular with farmers since
it afforded equal priority to their eco-
nomic objectives and balanced busi-
ness efficiency requirements against
water quality aspirations.
Results from the pilots showed the
farmers have reduced leaching of nutri-
ents to a certain extent. For example,
in one of the areas, Norsminde Fjord,
it has been calculated that there was a
20-25% reduction at farm level of total
N-leaching. This was achieved using
integrated advising and the project’s
GAP advice (examples included using
ammonium instead of nitrate fertiliser,
early sowing of winter cereals, catch
crops, spring ploughing of grasslands,
and constructed wetlands).
However, the project findings also
demonstrated that the WFD environ-
mental goals could not be met in all
places through voluntary initiatives.
Farms and farming systems vary con-
siderably between areas, as do the
environmental challenges faced. The
AGWAPLAN approach focused on
making local, i.e. farm level, aspirations
a central part in the process towards
achieving the objectives of the WFD.
AGWAPLAN demonstrated the impact of good agricultural practices on reduc-ing nutrient content in surface and groundwater
Project Number:
LIFE05 ENV/B/000510
Title: Train the operators to prevent pollution from point sources
Beneficiary: ECPA - The European
Crop Protection Association
Contact: Stuart Rutherford
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.topps-life.org/
web/page.asp
Period: Nov−2005 to Oct−2008
Total Budget: e2 603 000
LIFE Contribution: e1 259 000
Water management
TOPPS: Keeping on top of point source pollutionThe TOPPS (Train the Operators to Prevent Pollution from Point Sources) project successfully
developed common European best management practice (BMP) guidelines for preventing point
source losses of plant protection products (PPP) to water and promoted these BMP principals to
users and relevant authorities.
The need to protect harvests against
pests, diseases and weeds is often
met by spraying PPPs onto fields
or crops. However, these products
can end up in surface waters if not
handled carefully or during bad
weather. Several small pilot projects
had achieved reductions in PPP
concentrations in water of 50-90%
by better handling of potential point
sources. The TOPPS project sought
to go beyond these efforts to create
co-ordinated, consistent and inter-
nationally transferable recommen-
dations for operators to avoid point-
source pollution.
TOPPS established four work clus-
ters based on geographical regions
of Europe: Southern; Nordic; East-
ern European and Western European
countries (15 Member States took
part). A cluster co-ordinator was
appointed for each one and a cluster
committee established consisting of
national key stakeholders and expert
representatives. A TOPPS Steering
Committee managed the specific
objectives of the LIFE project.
TOPPS prepared an inventory of
existing PPP management practices
and implementation tools by clus-
ter. It also drew up an inventory of
organisations active in the field, such
as farm advisory services, water
associations, distributors and farm-
ers’ organisations. These inventories
were collated into a database of 1
400 experts and 1 334 organisations
working on PPPs and water. It found
74 references to training and advice
on how to prevent point-source pol-
lution.
BMP guidelines
Interdisciplinary exchanges at national
and international levels led to the
agreement at a European workshop of
EU-wide BMP guidelines for the safe
use of PPP and sustainable mitigation
of water contamination. These guide-
lines relate to all relevant working proc-
esses, including transport, storage,
handling and filling, spraying, clean-
ing, and the disposal of remnant spray
solution, and were translated into 12
languages, filling knowledge gaps
which existed in many countries.
The BMP guidelines were the basis for
comprehensive information, training and
demonstration materials focused on the
key risk areas. More than 300 000 bro-
chures (in 15 languages) were dissemi-
nated, providing information on how
farmers could audit their practices.
The four regional clusters implemented
the guidelines considering their specific
local context based on the European
core of the guidelines. Specific work
focused on remnant and technical resi-
due management and examined the
critical success factors for the imple-
mentation of the TOPPS recommen-
dations. This resulted in a proposal of
suggested organisational requirements
for implementing the guidelines in any
EU country.
The project set up 10 demonstration
farms in eight countries. The TOPPS
team conducted 138 training work-
shops on safe use of PPPs, reaching
more than 4 000 farmers and 1 500
advisors. It also created displays,
stands and videos for awareness-rais-
ing at events. The value of the guide-
lines and brochure was shown by some
national authorities and stakeholders
sponsoring their dissemination and
adopting the BMPs as the national rec-
ommendation. The TOPPS BMPs are
recognized at EU level in the catalogue
of measures needed to define the River
Basin Management Plans (RBMP)
under the Water Framework Directive.
They are also being considered in the
National Action Plans required by the
Framework Directive on Sustainable
Use of Pesticides.
The TOPPS team conducted training workshops on the safe use of PPPs, reaching more than 4 000 farmers
Project Number:
LIFE05 ENV/B/000517
Title: In Situ Metal Precipitation for
remediation of groundwater contam-
inated with non ferrous metals
Beneficiary: Umicore NV
Contact:
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.vito.be/insimep/
Period: Sept-2005 to Sept-2009
Total Budget: e2 765 000
LIFE Contribution: e758 000
Best LIFE Environment Projects 2009 I p. ��
INSIMEP: In-situ remedies for contaminated groundwaterLIFE has helped demonstrate the feasibility of a new environmentally-benign treatment method
for cleaning European groundwater from non-ferrous metal contaminants by using technology
that operates up to 60 metres below ground.
Member States are now required by
law under the Water Framework Direc-
tive’s River Basin Management Plans
to protect, enhance, restore and pre-
vent the pollution or deterioration of
EU groundwater quality. Non-ferrous
metals, such as zinc, cadmium, cobalt
and nickel, have been associated with
groundwater contamination, particu-
larly around the estimated 1.5 million
EU sites where soils or industrial areas
are known to contain these metals.
Traditional treatment methods for con-
taminated groundwater have previously
proved expensive because the process
involves pumping water to the surface
where it is then cleaned using different
treatment techniques. This ‘pump and
treat’ (P&T) approach has been shown
to have negative effects on ground-
water equilibriums and it often fails to
meet groundwater quality standards.
Furthermore, water treatment facili-
ties can also create additional pollu-
tion risks because the procedures rely
on hazardous chemicals and produce
metal-containing waste sludge.
In-situ solution
One solution to these problems is to
treat the groundwater contamination
in-situ, underground, and a private sec-
tor-led LIFE project from Belgium has
demonstrated that this approach is both
feasible and cost effective. The INSIMEP
project brought together specialists in
metal recycling and application, with
experts in drilling techniques and in-
situ engineers. This resulted in a highly
successful set of outcomes that are rel-
evant for businesses and environmental
authorities across the EU involved in
tackling groundwater contamination.
INSIMEP’s methodology was tested
in two different locations in Flanders
and findings highlighted the tech-
nique’s capacity to treat groundwater
at depths of up to 60 m below the
surface. Key to the overall decon-
tamination technique is a process that
accelerates naturally-occurring geo-
chemical events, whereby the toxic-
ity of the metals is neutralised as they
bind with other elements to form more
stable compounds. Such ‘precipita-
tion’ processes only occur under cer-
tain conditions, when specific types
of sulphate-reducing bacteria are
present and active. The INSIMEP team
was able to induce these bacteria to
reduce sulphate into sulphides, which
subsequently immobilised metals in
the groundwater as they formed solid
metal sulphides.
Glycerol and lactate laced with nutri-
ents, non-hazardous and completely
biodegradable products, were identi-
fied as effective agents for stimulating
the bacteria. The LIFE project’s moni-
toring showed that sustained metal
removal was fully achieved for zinc and
cadmium at one test site. ‘Irreversibil-
ity’ was almost achieved at the other
site, where less than 2% of the immo-
bilised cobalt was recorded as being
re-released at low water concentra-
tions. Overall the project was able to
greatly reduce zinc, nickel, cadmium
and cobalt levels in groundwater.
The new technology not only pro-
vides a more environmentally-friendly
method of treating groundwater (by
stimulating natural ecological sys-
tems, avoiding hazardous chemical
inputs, producing zero sludge and
using less energy), it is also faster and
The project analysed groundwater at three sites to construct hydrological models
more economical: operational costs of
the in-situ method are 40% lower than
conventional P&T methods. The ben-
eficiary was so impressed it may apply
the technique on a large-scale at other
contaminated sites in Belgium.
The environmental impact of industrial processes is managed through a wide range
of EU policy initiatives. The recently amended Directive on Integrated Pollution
Prevention and Control (IPPC) is one piece of legislation that strongly aims at improv-
ing the whole environmental performance of large-, medium- and small-scale indus-
trial plants throughout the EU, by covering emissions to air, water and land; genera-
tion of waste; use of raw materials; energy efficiency; noise; prevention of accidents;
and site restoration upon closure.
The IPPC Directive is strongly concerned with the reduction of negative environmen-
tal impacts and sustainable management of toxic substances. It also defines com-
mon rules on the authorisation of permits for industrial installations, which have to be
based on Best Available Techniques (BAT). BAT refers to the most advanced tech-
niques that can be used to achieve a high level of environmental protection for the
industrial sector in question.
Minimising the impact of economic activities
Best LIFE Environment Projects 2009 I p. 2�
A competitive European steel industry
is crucial for the development of major
industrial sectors, such as the auto-
motive sector and construction. The
major issues affecting the competi-
tiveness of the steel sector are higher
costs compared with some other
competing regions, and access to raw
materials and energy. Furthermore,
the expected tightening of EU-spe-
cific environmental legislation, such
as the Emissions Trading Scheme
(ETS) is likely to place a substantial
burden on the EU steel industry.
The steel sector should adjust to the
demands posed by the EU’s climate
change policies, in particular, through
continuous investment in techno-
logical innovation and improving the
energy efficiency of production. The
industry should also improve the effi-
ciency of raw materials use in order to
reduce its sensitivity to imbalances in
their supply. Steel manufacturers are
faced with the challenge of investing
in greener technologies whilst still
remaining competitive on the global
market and LIFE funding has contrib-
uted in finding innovative environmen-
tally-friendly solutions.
Traditional hot rolling creates health risks
Hot rolling is a process for working
metal into particular forms, notably
sheets or rods. Large pieces of metal
are heated and then passed between
rollers which generate thinner cross-
sections. Hot rolling is able to pro-
duce greater deformations of the
metal than cold rolling for the same
number of rolling cycles and typically
avoids residual stress building up in
the material.
However, hot rolling of steel leaves
a layer of scale on the surface. The
scale forms as the steel reacts with
the atmosphere on cooling from its
high temperature. Scale on the sur-
face can cause significant problems
for subsequent use and coating of
the steel.
For decades, de-scaling of steel has
been performed by pre-crushing
the scale and then remov-
ing it in a pickle with hot
hydrochloric (HCl) and
sulphuric acid (H2SO4)
– dip or spray pickling.
After pickling, the strip
is rinsed, dried and
oiled.
This process has a sig-
nificant environmental impact. It
uses large amounts of polluting and
potentially dangerous acids such as
hydrochloric acid and sulphuric acid
(equivalent to 4.5 kg H2SO4/tonne)
at high temperatures, thus produc-
ing toxic gas emissions and creating
health risks in the working environ-
ment. Furthermore, large volumes of
water (0,8 m³/tonne) are consumed
in the pickling phase, for convey-
ing the acids and during the rinsing
and cooling processes. The polluted
process water has to undergo treat-
ment before being discharged.
Hazardous wastes that are produced
during the process include efflu-
ents containing industrial lubricants
and acid sludge, both of which can
present serious health and safety
risks for Europe’s wire-production
workforce. Furthermore, energy con-
sumption (500 MWh/yr) is also high
HVD: Physical de-scaling in the metal industryThe traditional method of de-scaling steel rollers used in metal working has a significant impact
on the environment. A German project demonstrated an effective process on an industrial scale
for replacing the existing chemical process with a physical one.
Photographic comparison of the surface appearance before and after HVD treatment
BEST OF TH
E BE
ST 2009
as a result of the complexity of the
industrial process necessary to obtain
the final product.
Hydro-mechanical process
The LIFE Environment HVD project
focused on developing a de-scal-
ing process that would totally or
partially by-pass the pickling phase,
thus avoiding the use of acids and
the production of hazardous waste.
It did so by demonstrating the fea-
sibility of de-scaling with an effec-
tive hydro-mechanical process that
consists of physical abrasion and a
high-pressure vacuum. It also used
the removed scale as an abrasive in
further de-scaling cycles, improv-
ing the sustainability of the process.
According to steel industry experts,
the technology may be the most
innovative optimisation in the steel
industry in the last 40 years.
The hydro-mechanical process
blasts abrasive particles onto the
scale-coated steel with high-pres-
sure water jets. The mixture of scale:
water is about 1:6 by volume – or 1:2
by weight – with about 70 litres of the
mixture being applied per minute.
The resulting water-scale suspen-
sion is sucked off under vacuum.
After de-scaling, the water and scale
are separated in a simple procedure.
Both media may then be reused in
the next cycle of the same proc-
ess; the scale is used as an abrasive
medium i.e. it can be blasted against
the steel to remove the scaling. “You
fight against the enemy with the
enemy,” says Stefan Pöschel, from
project beneficiary, Airmatic: “We
use the same material to remove
the scaling from the steel. The big
advantage is that you don’t have any
additional material to separate and
dispose.”
The recycling of materials extends
to other marketplaces too. After
repeated use of the abrasive matter,
the deposits become too small to
use further. They then can be sepa-
rated and sold as non-hazardous
raw material (iron oxide) for concrete
production and as iron for recycling
in the steel industry.
Minimal environmental impact
The HVD technology has a minimal
impact on the environment. The results
demonstrated that the technology is
suitable as a complete substitution for
pickling in cases where 95% removal
of the scale is sufficient (i.e. for steel
that is zinc-coated afterwards) or as a
pre-pickling stage to reduce pickling
Minimising the impact of economic activities
Fine scale particles deliver an excellent descaling effect without any negative impact on surface quality. Pictured is the effect on 58CrV4 steel at 300 bar, 32-45 μm. The dark brown patches are the scale and the light brown is the steel.
Scale can be used as an abrasive blast medium and does not negatively influ-ence the surface quality of the treated steel grades
The scale layer is partly removed and perforated, which increases its dissolving rate in the pickling-bath, thus reducing the consumption of energy, water and acid per tonne of steel
Testing the process
After initial tests proved the viability of the HVD process, the beneficiary, Airmatic,
constructed an industrial scale demonstration plant at its facility in Hemer, North
Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. There trials of the new descaling process were carried
out with international steel producers in respect of two different applications: as an
alternative to pickling and as a pre-descaling process combined with pickling. The
producers were not looking to replace existing pickling plants, but rather to increase
steel output or reduce the specific consumption of operating resources (fresh water,
acid, energy) of their existing pickling lines.
Initial results were as follows:
User: ASteel grade: NO electric stripObjective: Reduction of pickling time (sulphuric acid)Result: 77% reduction of pickling time
User: BSteel grade: St-37Objective: Replace pickling line (hydrochloric acid)Result: 100% reduction of pickling time (free from scale, oil, grease)
User: CSteel grade: 58CrV4Objective: Reduction of pickling time (hydrochloric acid)Result: 77% reduction of pickling time
User: CSteel grade: DX52Objective: Reduction of pickling time (hydrochloric acid)Result: 66% reduction of pickling time
User: CSteel grade: H180BDObjective: Reduction of pickling time (hydrochloric acid)Result: 100% reduction of pickling time
User: DSteel grade: DD14Objective: Reduction of pickling time (hydrochloric acid)Result: 50% reduction of pickling time
User: DSteel grade: 12MnCrMo 8-4Objective: Reduction of pickling time (hydrochloric acid)Result: 50% reduction of pickling time
User: ESteel grade: St-37Objective: Replace pickling line (hydrochloric acid)Result: 100% reduction of pickling time.
Best LIFE Environment Projects 2009 I p. 2�
by at least 50% where greater reduc-
tion is needed.
The new process has significant eco-
nomic and environmental benefits.
In all cases, the physical de-scaling
process reduces water consump-
tion. Furthermore, the water is cir-
culated back through the system
and the scale for blasting, a waste
product of the process, is reused as
an abrasive medium. Use of pickling
chemicals and heating gas is reduced
by at least 50% and often, the reduc-
tion is between 70 and 80%. In cases
where no further pickling is needed
– for example with construction steel
which is zinc coated afterwards – the
savings are 100% (see box - Testing
the process).
The beneficiary calculates that a
pickling plant with a capacity of 1.1
million tonnes/yr using the HVD pre-
scaling process combined with pick-
ling would achieve a 50% reduction
in pickling time, and reductions of 1
500 000 m3/yr in natural gas, 10 000
tonnes/yr in acid and 800 000 m3/yr
in water use. While the high-pressure
pump requires electricity, total energy
consumption of the HVD process is
estimated to be 40% lower than for
the traditional pickling process.
The market for the technology covers
around 600 plants worldwide. While
the steel industry is considered one
of the most conservative sectors –
core technologies have not changed
for many decades and equipment
lasts for a long time – the interest of
the sector in the new technology is
already very high. As of June 2009,
12 different steel types from five
companies had been tested. In all
cases the tests were successful: the
particle size of scale is now less than
50 μm and reduction of pickling time
is always greater than 50%.
The HVD project developed an industrial demonstration plant for
continuous descaling of steel strips
Minimising the impact of economic activities
Project Number: LIFE05 ENV/D/000207
Title: Hydro-Mechanical Descaling Process based on High-Pressure Vacuum Technology Using Scales as Abrasive Blast Medium
Beneficiary: Airmatic
Email: geschaeftsleitung@airmatic- systeme.de
Website: http://www.hvd-life.eu
Period: Dec-2005 to May-2009
Contact: Hubert Schulte
Total Budget: e1 907 000
LIFE Contribution: e536 000
Transferability of the new process
Further dissemination of the technol-
ogy is encouraged by the clear eco-
nomic incentives for the beneficiary
and the involvement of Andritz Sund-
wig, a supplier of steel industry equip-
ment. Establishing the demonstration
plant at the beneficiary’s premises
was also important. Steel companies
have access to see demonstrations of
the technology and run tests on their
own type of steel.
In fact, the conservatism of the steel
industry represented a major chal-
lenge for the project, according to
Mr. Pöschel. “Everything that is new
seems strange,” he says. Without
European Commission funding the
new technology would never have
been developed. “The Commis-
sion gave a chance to conduct this
research and acquire the scientific
base – we co-operated with the Uni-
versity [Universität Siegen Lehrstuhl für
Energie und Umweltverfahrenstechnik
(LEUVT)] at every stage – to show our
customers that it really works. Euro-
pean companies would never have
invested in something that they were
not sure about, but now they have
seen the results,” he says.
The project looks set to have a
long-term legacy. Project manager
Hubert Schulte says that his com-
pany is already working on reducing
costs for the innovative and greener
solutions developed under LIFE. He
explains that Airmatic is in advanced
discussions with some of the major
players in the global marketplace
with a view to offering its new tech-
nologies – A new plant using HVD
technology is set to open in Ger-
many soon and the process could
be implemented in such countries
as Russia, China and Turkey in the
near future. Thus, the impact of this
project is not limited to the Euro-
pean Union, but is also an impor-
tant example of eco-innovation that
can decouple economic growth and
environmental pollution in develop-
ing and emerging countries.
Accepting the Best LIFE Environ-
ment Projects award in Brussels on
behalf of the whole project team, Mr.
Schulte said: “We’d like to thank the
European Commission for giving us
the chance to demonstrate innova-
tive advances even in traditional sec-
tors such as European steelworks.”
LIFE Environment and Eco-Innovation Head of Unit, Hervé Martin (left), presenting Hubert Schulte of Airmatic with the ‘Best of the Best’ award in Brussels
The new HVD descaling process allows the application as a pre-treatment step in existing and future pickling lines or as an alternative technology to these chemical processes.
Project Number:
LIFE05 ENV/E/000251
Title: Ozone clean in place in food industries
Beneficiary: AINIA (Instituto Tec-
nológico Agroalimentario)
Contact: Andrés Pascual
Email: [email protected]
Website:
http://www.ozonecip.net/index.htm
Period: Dec-2005 to Dec-2008
Total Budget: e811 000
LIFE Contribution: e395 000
Best LIFE Environment Projects 2009 I p. 2�
Clean-in-Place (CIP) systems are
closed processes in which a recirculat-
ing cleaning solution is used to disinfect
food-processing plants. Existing CIP
systems were considered BAT for main-
taining hygienic conditions by the Euro-
pean reference documents (BREFs).
However, they still had significant envi-
ronmental impacts, particularly high
water consumption and production of
highly polluted effluents.
OzoneCIP sought to go beyond the
current BAT by using ozone as an alter-
native cleaning agent in a CIP system.
The project started by studying the
BAT reference documents for cleaning
in food industries as well as examining
the state-of-the-art in ozone technology
and CIP techniques. It carried out an
environmental diagnosis of 15 industrial
food installations.
Testing ozone-based disinfection
The project team then designed and
constructed a prototype installation
to test CIP processes with traditional
chemical cleaning agents and the
ozone alternative. They experimented in
a laboratory setting with the prototype
to obtain data for different CIP proto-
cols to demonstrate the environmental
benefits of the ozone-based techniques
in three food industries.
The CIP protocols with and without
ozone were tested on raw wine inocu-
lated with cultures of acid lactic bacteria
and brettanomyces. Similar tests were
carried out on both beer and whole milk
inoculated with aerobic and anaerobic
bacteria and yeasts. Wastewater sam-
ples were taken during the tests and
the inner surfaces of the prototype
swabbed before and after the clean-
ing cycle to monitor the effectiveness
of disinfection. Last rinse sampling was
also performed in all tests.
The data enabled the identification of
environmental indicators and repre-
sentative values for BAT documents
for the wine, beer and dairy process-
ing industries. Although actual results
in manually operated CIP operations
will vary, the tests found that using ozo-
nated water as a cleaning agent can
result in reductions of up to 50% per
cycle for both water consumption and
the organic load by weight of waste-
water. Dairy-related tests showed the
highest reductions, followed by beer
and then wine.
The fact that ozone quickly breaks back
down into oxygen leaving no residues
meant that effluents could be treated
in the same way as urban wastewa-
ter. Although there are initial costs for
setting up the OzoneCIP system, envi-
ronmental and economic benefits arise
from the non-use of chemical cleaners,
reduced water consumption, energy
savings compared with hot water or
steam disinfection, low maintenance
costs and reduced environmental taxes
on the wastewater.
The environmental benefits were
obtained without any detriment to the
efficacy of the cleaning and disinfec-
tion process. The results should make
it possible to consider the OzoneCIP
technology as the new BAT for the sec-
tors studied by the project in the next
version of the BREF.
OZONECIP: Where ozone makes good environmental headlines
OzoneCIP went beyond the current BAT by using ozone as an alternative cleaning agent in a clean-in-place system
The OzoneCIP project demonstrated an innovative technique using ozone as a cleaning agent in a
closed process for disinfecting food-processing plants. It went beyond the current Best Available
Technology (BAT) to disinfect without currently used chemicals and produce significant water sav-
ings and improvements in wastewater quality.
Project Number:
LIFE06 ENV/NL/000178
Title: Brine Recovery in the produc-
tion of polycarbonate
Beneficiary: SABIC Innovative
Plastics
Contact: Paul Eijsbouts
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.sabic.com/
corporate/en/newsandmediarelations/
news/20080528.aspx
Period: Dec-2005 to Dec-2008
Total Budget: e7 986 000
LIFE Contribution: e1 200 000
Brine Recovery: Reducing the need for new salt in polycarbonate productionThis innovative Dutch-based project achieved major reductions in salt and water use in the pro-
duction of chlorine for polycarbonate manufacture.
Polycarbonates are plastics used in a
wide range of industrial and consumer
products, from mobile phones and
compact discs, to pipes and cylinders
used in construction and other sectors.
Polycarbonates are in demand because
they are tough and heat resistant, and
can be moulded easily into different
forms. But their production comes at
an environmental cost.
In particular, production of polycar-
bonates requires chlorine, which in turn
requires large volumes of high-purity
salt (NaCl). The negative environmental
impacts are felt before chlorine produc-
tion has even started, because of the
need to mine and transport large vol-
umes of salt. The environmental cost
is compounded by the production of
brine as wastewater. As chlorine plants
had no way of treating or reusing this, it
would typically be flushed out to sea.
This changed with a pilot project car-
ried out by SABIC Innovative Plastics
from 2001 to 2003 in Bergen op Zoom,
the Netherlands. The project tested
the reuse of brine, showing it could be
recycled through a closed loop, thus
reducing the need for new inputs of salt.
Specifically, the pilot project overcame
a problem with impurities in the recy-
cled brine that damaged membranes
used in chlorine production.
Building on the pilot project’s success-
ful results, with LIFE backing SABIC
undertook to build a full-scale produc-
tion plant at Bergen op Zoom imple-
menting brine recycling. The plant was
duly finished and went into production
in 2007. Since then, the results have
been outstanding.
Reuse and reduce
The closed loop system means that
73% of the brine waste stream gener-
ated by the plant can be reused. This
translates to a massive reduction in the
requirement for salt of 72 000 tonnes/yr,
and an overall reduction in the volume
of wastewater discharged to the sea of
14%, or 225 000 m3/yr. The amount of
salt in this wastewater has been reduced
by 65%. Energy savings have also been
significant: 144,000 GJ/yr, according to
SABIC, with accompanying reductions
in greenhouse gas emissions.
The project has also produced indirect
benefits, because of the reduced need
to mine salt and transport it to the plant:
SABIC estimates that there has been a
75% indirect energy saving on water
and road transportation movements.
Underlying the environmental achieve-
ments is the financial viability of the
scheme. The cost of the full-scale pro-
duction plant was significant: €11 mil-
lion. But the annual savings on salt and
demineralised water are €3.8 million,
meaning the new plant will have more
than paid for itself by the end of 2010.
SABIC said it plans to transfer the new
technology to two sister plants in the
United States.
SABIC’s European president Heiner
Markhoff summed up the impact of
the project when he called it, “An out-
standing example of how technological
creativity combined with government
partnership can make a major differ-
ence in several environmental areas
– conservation of natural resources,
reduction of energy use and emissions,
and less wastewater discharge into the
ocean. We are grateful to the EU LIFE
programme for crucial support of this
successful project.”
Mr. Markhoff made his comments as
the Brine Recovery project picked up a
2007 national ENERGY GLOBE award.
The project was chosen from among
five Dutch nominees, and was recog-
nised at a ceremony at the European
Parliament.
Minimising the impact of economic activities
The brine recovery finishing unit was made up of salt removal columns and a carbonate destruction system
Project Number:
LIFE06 ENV/FIN/000201
Title: Control of VOC emissions from mechanical pulping beyond BAT
Beneficiary: AX-LVI Consulting
Contact: Markku Tapola
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://voclesspulping.com
Period: Oct-2006 to Sept-2009
Total Budget: e579 000
LIFE Contribution: e286 000
Best LIFE Environment Projects 2009 I p. 2�
VOCless pulping: Reducing emissions from mechanical pulpingThis Finnish-led project tested innovative volatile organic compound (VOC) abatement technolo-
gies for mechanical and semi-chemical pulp plants at pilot scale. Results indicate a possible
reduction in VOC emissions of 6 000 tonnes/yr in Europe.
VOCs are known to contribute to the
greenhouse effect, toxicity and odour
problems, as well as playing a role in
producing ozone in air polluted by nitro-
gen oxides. Mechanical and chemi-
thermomechanical pulping processes
are a significant source of airborne VOC
emissions. The LIFE ‘VOCless pulping’
project set out to develop a viable VOC
and odour abatement solution capable
of guaranteeing emissions below 50
mgC/m3, the usual requirement for
exhaust gases according to the VOC
Solvents Directive (1999/13/EC).
The project team analysed selected
airborne VOC emissions from four dif-
ferent pulping processes: thermome-
chanical pulping (TMP), groundwood
pulping (GWP), pressure groundwood
pulping (PGW), and chemi-thermo-
mechanical pulping (CTMP). The mills
selected for these measurements
were Stora Enso Anjalankoski (TMP
and PGW) and M-real Lielahti (CTMP),
both in Finland, as well as Raffin Por-
tonogaro (GWP) in Italy.
Testing the technologies
Based on the results of these initial
analyses, the project beneficiary built
pilot plants testing two of the pro-
posed VOC abatement technologies,
namely a catalytic incinerator plant
at Anjalankoski and a biofilter-based
pilot plant in Italy.
The catalytic incinerator demonstrated
efficient operation and good cleaning
results on both the TMP and PGW
lines at the Stora Enso mill. Results
indicate that the technology will allow
a 90-94% reduction of VOC emissions
and also eliminate odour problems.
The results from the biofilter pilot
plant in Italy suggest that the most
volatile of VOCs can be degraded
biologically, with an efficiency level
similar to other abatement technolo-
gies. The overall VOC elimination
capacity of the biofilter was 83% at
an average filter space loading of
some 70 m3/h, with an odour reduc-
tion efficiency calculated at 88%. The
VOC concentration fell from 45 mg
C/m3 on average before the biofilter
to below 10 mg C/m3 after it.
Although the use of hardwood tree
species at Portonogaro mill means
low VOC concentrations and no regu-
latory need to add a VOC abatement
system to the GWP plant, the pilot
test results were used to simulate the
effects of a biofilter for TMP, PGW and
CTMP plants.
These simulations indicate that a bio-
filter is the most cost-efficient abate-
ment technique for reducing VOC
emissions from TMP plants, increas-
ing the cost of producing pulp by €0.6/
tonne, compared with €0.9/tonne for
a catalytic incinerator. However, the
latter technique is estimated to be
superior for use in a PGW plant.
As a result of M-real’s decision to
close its CTMP plant at the Lielahti
mill in March 2008, it was only pos-
sible to simulate catalytic incinerator
and biofilter tests for this technology
based on the results of the pilot tests
performed in the other plants. These
simulations indicate a significantly
higher cost of operating VOC abate-
ment systems as a result of the higher
exhaust gas airflow of the CTMP plant.
Of the two technologies tested in the
simulation, the biofilter was adjudged
to be the most cost efficient for CTMP
production.
In addition to the two technologies
tested, research carried out by the
project identified condensation as
a feasible abatement technology for
VOC emission control in pulp pro-
duction.
The project analysed selected airborne VOC emissions from different pulping processes and tested VOC abatement technologies, namely a catalytic incin-erator plant in Finland and a biofilter-based pilot plant in Italy
Waste managementThe EU’s Thematic Strategy on the prevention and recycling of waste contributes to
reducing the overall negative environmental impact of resource use. Preventing waste
generation and promoting recycling and recovery of waste will increase the resource
efficiency of the European economy and reduce the negative environmental impact
of use of natural resources. Achieving these goals will contribute to maintaining the
resource base, essential for sustained economic growth. The basic objectives of cur-
rent EU waste policy – to prevent waste and promote reuse, recycling and recovery
so as to reduce negative environmental impacts – will be supported by this impact-
based approach.
The long-term goal is for the EU to become a recycling society that seeks to avoid
waste and uses waste as a resource.
Best LIFE Environment Projects 2009 I p. 2�
MICROPHILOX: Energy recovery from landfill biogasThe Spanish MICROPHILOX project successfully demonstrated important technological innova-
tions including the use of microturbines for biogas recovery, an innovative biogas upgrading sys-
tem and the development of a proven methodology for siloxane analysis.
The Landfill Directive (1999/31/EC)
makes the recovery of landfill gas
mandatory (“biogas shall be col-
lected, treated and used”). If the
collected gas cannot be used to
produce energy, it must be flared.
However, recovery of landfill gas can
be a difficult process because of the
equipment involved, biogas quality
and the methodology for detecting
contaminants present in the biogas.
The most commonly used technol-
ogy for landfill gas energy recovery
is a combined heat and power (CHP)
plant. However CHP plants are only
technically and economically fea-
sible when the generated power is
over 600 kW and when biogas has
a methane content of at least 40%.
Landfill sites with low biogas flow or
low methane content (such as small
landfills or those that are at the initial
or final stage of exploitation) cannot
profit from this source.
Prior to combustion and the genera-
tion of electricity, the biogas has to be
upgraded in order to remove unde-
sirable substances such as hydro-
gen sulphide (H2S) and siloxanes.
The latter come from waste such as
cosmetics, shampoos, deodorants,
detergents, pharmaceuticals, inks
and adhesives and are highly vola-
tile. If siloxanes are not removed dur-
ing combustion, silicon is released
which can combine with oxygen or
other elements to form silica and sili-
cates (SiO2 and SiO4). These
silicon-based deposits
can seriously damage
the microturbines. For
this reason siloxanes
should be removed
from the biogas before
it enters the combus-
tion chamber. It is also
important to determine the
quantity of siloxanes present in
the biogas (which will depend on
the nature of the waste) in order to
evaluate the upgrading process effi-
ciencies.
The project beneficiary CESPA, a
provider of environmental services,
including waste management and
treatment, understood the urgency
of finding an innovative solution for
all of these problems. The company
sought to develop and demonstrate
the first microturbine in Spain work-
ing with biogas from a landfill in Orís,
managed by CESPA and owned by
Consell Comarcal d’Osona. Project
partners were the Austrian technol-
ogy centre, PROFACTOR, which
developed the biofilters, and the
Institut Químic de Sarriá y Peinusa
(IQS), which obtained a method for
siloxane detection and monitoring.
Biogas was upgraded with the use of biofilters and an activated carbon filter, which removed hydrogen sulphide (H2S) and siloxanes
BEST OF TH
E BE
ST 2009
Biogas recovery in the OrÍs landfill
The biogas is sucked from the landfill
to the treatment unit at a high tem-
perature by the blower. The regulat-
ing valve then diverts the correct
amount of biogas that is necessary to
operate the microturbine, whilst the
remaining amount is flared. The gas
passes through an exchanger, where
its temperature is reduced to approxi-
mately 7°C, in order to condense the
water. It then leaves the chiller and
is circulated through a condensation
trap. The biogas moves to the next
stage whilst the water is captured in
a column and is collected in a drain.
The biogas passes through a second
exchanger where it is heated so that it
can enter the biofilter in a dry state, so
that the filter does not quickly become
saturated with humidity.
The biogas is, at this stage, ready for
upgrading. There are several biogas
upgrading technologies that can
achieve similar efficiencies to physi-
cal-chemical methods, including bio-
filters, bioscrubbers and biotrickling
filters, the latter being the most impor-
tant. Project partner PROFACTOR
designed and built a prototype for bio-
logical biogas cleaning (BBCS) for the
removal of sulphide acid and siloxanes.
The system consisted of two biotrick-
ling filters: desulphuration takes place
in the first column where the micro-
organisms (i.e.Thiobacillus sp.) are fed
with oxygen, through a bubble column,
and an aqueous solution necessary
for the metabolic reaction, whereas
for the siloxane degradation, which
takes place in the second column, the
microorganisms (i.e. Pseudomonas flu-
orescens) are fed with oxygen directly
injected in the biogas.
The target was to reduce the H2S con-
centration at the outlet to less than
10ppmv and to reduce siloxanes by
50%. The biological biogas cleaning
system was in operation at the Orís
landfill for nine months. Monitoring
indicated that whilst H2S removal effi-
ciencies reached values up to 95%,
the 50% target for siloxane removal
couldn’t be achieved with biological
cleaning.
The BBCS system designed and built
by PROFACTOR had a treatment
capacity of 15 m³ for H2S and 2 m³ for
siloxanes, while microturbines needed
a flow of 50-60 m³/h. As Elena Jiménez
of CESPA explains, “For the removal
of siloxanes, we opted for the use of
activated carbon due to its simplicity
of operation and high efficiency.” The
porous surface of the activated car-
bon filter was able to capture most of
the siloxanes, reducing their concen-
tration to 5ppb, and thereby reducing
the costs of removing silicon forma-
tions from the microturbines.
Generating electricity with microturbines
After the gas leaves the carbon filter it
is compressed to a pressure between
5 and 7 bar. The biogas leaves the
compressor at a high temperature
(approximately 75°C), undergoes
another cooling and heating process
to eliminate excess water and is finally
sent to the microturbines. Biogas is
injected in the combustion chamber
where compressed air is present at
a high temperature to increase proc-
ess efficiency, and the mixture is then
ignited and combustion takes place.
Hot gases coming from the combus-
tion are expanded in the turbine blades,
turning the axle where the generator
and the compressor are assembled.
The turning of the generator produces
a high frequency electric current.
Two 30 kW microturbines were
installed on the OrÍs landfill and
operated successfully with gases
with a methane level as low as 35%
(although it was shown at OrÍs that
they can function with a methane
content as low as 31%). “One of the
main features of a microturbine is
that it allows the electrical energy to
be exported very easily thanks to the
fact that its power electronics means
it synchronises immediately with the
supply network (at 45 000 rpm),”
explains Elísabet González from
CESPA. “For the moment, the elec-
tricity that is produced is used by the
Waste management
The MICROPHILOX project sought to emonstrate the first microturbine in Spain using biogas from a landfill in Orís
Project Number:
LIFE05 ENV/E/000319
Title: Energy recovery from landfill’s
biogas by the use of microturbines
and biological removal of hydrogen
sulphide and siloxanes
Beneficiary: CESPA Gestión de
Residuos S.A.
Contact: Elena Jiménez Coloma
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.microphilox.com
Period: Oct-2005 to Mar-2009
Total Budget: e1 303 000
LIFE Contribution: e582 000
Best LIFE Environment Projects 2009 I p. ��
Orís plant itself, mainly to operate the
leachate treatment plant (60-70 kW).
If the leachate treatment plant will
consume less, then we could envis-
age selling the energy to the electricity
supply network,” she adds.
Innovative analysis of siloxanes
Project partners IQS and Peinusa car-
ried out a study of existing methods
of capturing and analysing siloxanes
in landfill biogas, with the objective
of obtaining an appropriate sam-
pling and analysis methodology, both
for simple and continuous testing.
Siloxane sampling was carried out
using solid adsorbents with activated
carbon tubes. Mr Francesc Broto from
IQS said that “Once the procedure for
siloxane sampling and qualitative and
quantitative analysis was developed
and validated, we then proceeded to
analyse real biogas samples obtained
from three different landfills located
in Orís, Palautordera and Hostalets
de Pierola. The objective was to
determine the variability of siloxane
concentration in different landfills
and to complete the validation of the
developed procedure with samples
of different origins.” In this way it is
possible to determine a priori the
upgrading process that is necessary
to implement to reduce the percent-
age of siloxanes to the point where
they will not damage the equipment
in a significant way.
Impressive results
The MICROPHILOX project dem-
onstrated that microturbines are a
feasible technology for the genera-
tion of power and heat from landfill
biogas, being the best alternative for
the energy recovery in landfills with
low biogas flow or with biogas with
low methane content. According to
CESPA’s economic analysis, “Ben-
efits tend to be negative when biogas
is flared (- €7 000/yr), however, good
economical and environmental results
are clearly achieved when biogas
is used for energy generation and a
biological system is used to upgrade
biogas (+ €21 500/yr). These gains
are related to the lower costs that the
plant has to face due to energy recov-
ery and to lower machinery mainte-
nance and operations costs,” notes
Ms. Jiminez.
In addition to its LIFE Environment
‘Best of the Best’ award, the Micro-
philox project has won the IX Gar-
rigues Medio Ambiente-Expansión
Award (in the Innovation, Develop-
ment and Application of Best Tech-
nologies category) and The Energy
Globe Award.
Steps for the future
“The MICROPHILOX project will not
remain an isolated event,” says Ms.
Jiménez. “There are future plans for
the 14 landfills owned by CESPA.
Biogas is recovered with CHP units
in only nine of them, so the microtur-
bines could be a valid alternative to
produce electricity from biogas in the
remaining five landfills.”
Furthermore, the project methodol-
ogy for siloxane capture and analy-
sis is not only to be incorporated
in the CESPA protocol for biogas
quality control, but in March 2009,
MKS Instruments (one of the project
partners) presented a technology
for instant in-situ measurement of
siloxane concentration. “This system
may well be installed in the OrÍs land-
fill in order to compare the results
with the ones obtained through the
MICROPHILOX project,” explains
Ms. Jiménez.
Two 30 kW microturbines were installed on the OrÍs landfill and operated successfully with gases with methane levels of 35% or lower
Waste management
BASHYCAT: Eco-industrial partnership for recycling of used catalysts This French ‘Best of the Best’ partnership project developed a sustainable and profitable alterna-
tive to the scrapping of used catalysts – a very hazardous waste used in the petrochemical indus-
try. Thanks to LIFE support, the BASHYCAT project is already demonstrating impressive environ-
mental and socio-economic benefits. The technology also offers significant export potential.
In Europe, the National Emissions
Ceiling (NEC) Directive (2001/81/CE)
restricts the emissions of pollutants
such as sulphur dioxide and nitrogen
oxides into the atmosphere. As of
2009, the levels of sulphur in petrol
and diesel should not exceed 10 ppm
(parts-per-million). As a result, the
quantity of used catalysts – used by
oil companies to transform crude oil
into petrol or diesel – is increas-
ing year on year. Solutions
are therefore required for
recycling spent cata-
lysts that are compat-
ible with environmental
protection and that can
help preserve the valu-
able metals they contain.
The hydrotreatment catalysts are
placed in what are known as refining
columns. The crude oil extracted from
the ground passes through these col-
umns and is cleaned of all the harm-
ful elements. If these elements were
not removed before using the petrol
in our cars, for example, they would
be released in the exhaust gases and
would pollute the atmosphere.
When the crude oil goes through the
refining column, the catalysts therefore
generate a reaction for extraction of:
l Sulphur, avoiding sulphur dioxide
(SO2) emissions; and
l Metals, avoiding the emission of fine
metal particles.
As the catalyst is used, it wears out
and can no longer extract all the
harmful elements. The used catalysts
therefore contain the elements they
are composed of (alumina, sometimes
silica, molybdenum, nickel and phos-
phorus) and the harmful elements
captured during the refining process
(nickel, vanadium, arsenic, etc.). In
Europe, there are an estimated 25
000 tonnes/yr of used NiMo, CoMo
and nickel-molybdenum-vanadium
(NiMoV) catalysts polluted with high
levels of vanadium and 1 000 tonnes/
yr of used NiW.
Numerous harmful effects are associ-
ated with used catalysts (see box). The
three-year LIFE Environment “Basic
hydrometallurgy on catalysts” (BASHY-
CAT) project was launched in 2006, to
find a viable alternative to:
l Scrapping used catalysts, which
poses considerable environmental
problems because of high leaching
levels of the metals contained in the
BEST OF THE BEST 2009
Raw materials such as molybdenum, tungsten, vanadium and nickel have been recov-ered and marketed, thus generating income and saving on natural resources
What is a catalyst?
A catalyst is a substance that can cause a change in the rate of a chemical reac-
tion without itself being consumed in the reaction. In the petrochemical indus-
try, the catalyst takes the form of small elements similar to granules, known as
“hydrotreatment catalysts” (they are different shapes and colours, depending on
their composition). These are composed of an aluminous or silica base on which
metal oxides are deposited, for example, nickel-molybdenum catalysts (NiMo),
cobalt-molybdenum catalysts (CoMo), nickel-tungsten catalysts (NiW). They par-
ticipate in several chemical reactions, making it possible to transform the crude oil
into petrol or diesel that can be used in our vehicles.
Best LIFE Environment Projects 2009 I p. ��
catalysts. These elements can enter
the food chain by groundwater infil-
tration and can be a danger to human
health and the environment; and
l Exporting to countries that don’t apply
as rigorous social and environmental
standards for disposal as the EU.
Lyonel Picard and Sophie Comte, the
project managers, are keen to empha-
sise that this was very much a “part-
nership project”, involving not only the
project beneficiary Valdi (specialists in
recycling batteries and recycling met-
als from industrial wastes), but also
Eurecat France (whose main activi-
ties are the regeneration and pre-
conditioning of refinery catalysts) and
L’Electrolyse (whose main activities
are surface treatment and the treat-
ment of chemical waste).
The overall aims were (i) ‘regeneration’
(i.e. they have a second life in a refinery)
of used nickel-molybdenum-vanadium
NiMoV and NiW catalysts; and (ii) recy-
cling of the chemical elements they are
composed of through a combination
pyrometallurigical and hydrometallur-
gical processes. Specific targets were
to regenerate a minimum of 10% of
the used catalysts; and to recycle over
80% of the metals they contain via new
marketable raw materials.
Key actions
The project involved four key ele-
ments:
Regeneration of the used catalysts
– carried out in a technical furnace
that restores the catalyst’s original
properties.
Roasting – the first stage in recycling
used catalysts, whereby the sulphur is
removed. The sulphur is captured by a
system of fume filtration and is trans-
formed into sodium sulphate powder.
Hydrometallurgy – involving:
i) an initial sub-stage during which
the catalysts are plunged into a
bath allowing certain metals they
Several raw materials are obtained through through pyrometallurgy (e.g. calcination and fusion)
The regeneration of used catalysts is carried out in a modified furnace that restores the catalyst’s original properties
Project Number:
LIFE06 ENV/F/000125
Title: Bashycat - Basic hydrometal-
lurgy on catalysts
Beneficiary: AFE Valdi (since Janu-
ary 2010, part of Eramet Group)
Contact: Lyonel Picard
Email: [email protected]
Period: Jan-2006 to Dec-2008
Total Budget: e11 315 000
LIFE Contribution: e2 733 000
Harmful effects of used catalysts
l Nickel, molybdenum, vanadium
and tungsten in the form of sulphur
compounds are extremely toxic to
humans (carcinogenic, mutagenic
and affecting reproduction) and the
environment (highly mobile) if they
get into the food chain or nature.
l If the sulphur is not captured, it
can cause acid rain or salt waste
to contaminate surface and under-
ground water.
l The heavy and light hydrocarbons
can affect air, water and soil if they
are not treated.
l The toxicology of poisonous ele-
ments such as arsenic, selenium or
fluoride in low concentration is well-
known.
contain to go into solution. After
this operation, the leaching liquor is
separated from the residual solids;
ii) a 2nd sub-stage that allows the
leaching liquor to be purified of
substances such as phosphorus or
arsenic; and
iii) a 3rd sub-stage that allows the
metals contained in the leaching
liquor to be recovered in the form
of a mud with a concentrated metal
content.
Pyrometallurgy – this can be:
i) calcination (dehydration of the mud
concentrated in metals);
ii) fusion (melting of the residual sol-
ids) to separate the mineral content
‘slag’ and the metal content (metal
ingots).
Several raw materials are obtained
as a result of these thermal treat-
ments: metal concentrates (calcium
molybdate, calcium tungstate, or
vanadium oxide depending on their
composition), slag and metal ingots
(for example, iron alloys of nickel-
molybdenum).
Good results lead to recycling channel
Over the course of the project,
3 900 tonnes of used catalysts were
sourced: The industrial feasibility of
regenerating NiMo catalysts polluted
with vanadium and NiW was proved.
Over 16% of the tonnage was regen-
erated during the project and the
remainder was recycled.
A complete used catalyst recycling
channel is now in place. A particu-
larly innovative aspect is that new
raw materials (patents registered No.
EU 06794235.9 and 04.356204.0)
have been produced and marketed,
allowing the metals recovered by the
process, such as molybdenum, tung-
sten, vanadium and nickel, to be sold
– generating income and saving on
natural resources.
The catalyst recycling is carried out
in compliance with the environmen-
tal standards for clean gas emissions
applicable to centres for the incinera-
tion of dangerous waste, thanks to the
innovative treatment of the fumes and
recycling of the resulting by-products
(the second of the two patents). This
gas treatment plant is recognised as
a best practice by the French inspec-
tion authorities.
Implemented on an industrial scale,
the innovative technology offers a
viable, clean and long-term alterna-
tive to the scrapping of used cata-
lysts. It also presents considerable
export opportunities (internally as
the technologies are patented). Since
January 2010, Valdi is now part of
the French mining and metallurgical
group, Eramet. This opens up new
markets as Eramet is the world’s lead-
ing recycler of such catalysts, with its
US subsidiary, GCMC.
Significant positive impact
According to Mr Picard and Ms
Comte, marketing and R&D manag-
ers for Valdi, the three-year project
has already had a “significant posi-
tive impact” on the environment and
for industry: Valdi’s catalyst turnover
for 2010 is forecast to be €12– €15
million and the forecasts are that the
turnover figure will triple by 2015.
Around 40 people worldwide are cur-
rently involved in this project and it is
hoped that this figure will double by
2015.
From an environmental point-of-view,
the NEC Directive was the principle
driver of the R&D work: “The law is
the law and we have to apply it,” says
Mr Picard. He adds, however, that
LIFE has enabled the development
to “Gain time: to achieve in only three
years, what may otherwise have taken
six-to-nine years.”
Summarising the success of the
project, he says the partnership
worked well right from the offset
and continues to operate efficiently.
Another reason is that the technol-
ogy, brought to market in just three
years, is “highly innovative: it is good
for the environment and for industry,”
he says.
Finally, on behalf of all the project
team, the project managers expressed
their delight at receiving the ‘Best of
the Best’ award. Valdi plans to host
an official event later in 2010 to cel-
ebrate this achievement. Held at the
factory premises, just outside Limo-
ges in west-central France, it will bring
together stakeholders, environmental
organisations, customers and the
media.
Waste management
Project Number:
LIFE05 ENV/E/000256
Title: Integral liquid residuals
management model for surface
treatment industries through BATs
(ZERO PLUS)
Beneficiary: The Metal−processing
Technology Institute (AIMME)
Contact: Gaspar Lloret Boscá
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.zeroplus.eu
Period: Dec-2005 to Jul-2009
Total Budget: e2 568 000
LIFE Contribution: e1 278 000
Best LIFE Environment Projects 2009 I p. ��
ZERO PLUS: Combining BATs to reduce liquid effluent to zeroThe Zero Plus project improved and integrated various best available techniques (BATs) for the
treatment of liquid effluent from the surface finishing of metals, successfully demonstrating a model
for reducing the final discharge of liquid effluent from the surface treatment industry to near-zero.
The surface treatment of metal prod-
ucts generates a number of often haz-
ardous liquid wastes that can be one
of the product’s major environmen-
tal costs. The LIFE Zero Plus project
focused on seven typical processes in
the electroplating industry (A-G) where
the use of the existing BATs was con-
sidered inefficient, arguable, or at least
improvable. These processes are part
of the three basic facilities of the elec-
tro-plating plant:
1. Surface cleaning and preparation (A:
Degreases and rinses; B: Acid pick-
ling and rinse).
2. Copper-nickel-chromium rack instal-
lation or copper-nickel barrel installa-
tion (C: Cyanided Cu rinses; D: Bright
Ni rinses; E: Decorative Cr rinses).
3. Zinc-nickel barrel installation and
chromate conversion (F: Zn-Ni
rinses; G: Chromic passivated baths
and rinses).
The project defined a baseline of
environmental risks for these seven
electroplating processes using the
existing BREF guidelines. The Zero
Plus partners then laboratory tested
various modification options, mak-
ing use of well-known techniques
such as skimming, vacuum evapora-
tion, electrocoagulation, filtration, ion
retardation, aeration, catalytic anodic
oxidation and ion exchange. This test-
ing process allowed the consortium to
address weaknesses within the BATs
and to identify the technical feasibility
of planned treatment processes and
the optimal conditions to achieve the
best yields.
In the acid pickling and rinse stage,
the tests found that the high concen-
trations of Fe-II rendered the proposed
electro-coagulation useless. This led
to its replacement with a neutralisa-
tion-aeration-flocculation process to
oxidise Fe-II and subsequent precipi-
tation of iron hydroxide.
Integrated BATs
The seven applications were then
tested at industrial scale in industrial
partner GALOL’s electroplating plant,
which enabled further optimisations.
In the degreasing stage, the problem
of the low recovery rate of non-ionic
surfactants was overcome by replac-
ing a micro-filtration system with a new
process using vacuum evaporation
technology.
The results enabled the project team to
make recommendations or changes to
each BAT to improve its environmen-
tal performance. It proposed effective
physical treatment technologies as
alternatives to treatments with rea-
gents or incineration or evaporation-
incineration. The proposals improved
the potential for reuse and recycling of
waste constituents.
By combining these improved BATs
into an integrated process, the project
defined a model that achieved near-
zero liquid-waste discharge as well
as eliminating much of the hazardous
content. It separated all recoverable
materials and allowed dedicated treat-
ments to be applied to each type of
effluent.
The main environmental results were:
a 95-100% reduction in waste vol-
ume; a 2 580 m3/yr reduction in water
consumption; a 17 tonne/yr reduction
in acid consumption; a 7 800 m3/yr
reduction in effluents; recovery of 800
kg/yr of salts and potash, 320 kg/yr
of nickel salts, and 50 kg/yr of boric
acid; and 100% elimination of nickel
complexes (amines, nitriles and cya-
nides). The project also reduced waste
storage, transport and management
requirements and increased the pro-
jected life span of the rinse baths.
Moreover, the results enabled the team
to make recommendations or changes
to each proposed BAT to improve its
environmental performance.
The Zero Plus project demonstrated a model for reducing the final discharge of liquid effluent from the surface treat-ment industry to near-zero
Project Number:
LIFE05 ENV/P/000369
Title: Integrated Waste Management
System for the Reuse of Used Frying
Oils to Produce Biodiesel for Munici-
pality Fleet of Oeiras
Beneficiary: Instituto de Soldadura
e Qualidade
Contact: Marco Estrela
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.cm-oeiras.pt/amunic-
ipal/OeirasRespira/PlanosProgramas/
Paginas/PlanoseProgramas.aspx
Period: Oct-2005 to Mar-2009
Total Budget: e1 202 000
LIFE Contribution: e588 000
Volumes of used cooking oils (UCO)
represent an increasing source of waste
in the EU and options exist to convert
UCO into biofuel. Such environmental
management opportunities offer win-
win solutions for both the Waste Frame-
work Directive (2008/98/EC) as well as
the EU Biofuels Directive (2003/30/EC),
which aims to replace 5.75% of all
transport fossil fuels (petrol and diesel)
with biofuels by this year (2010).
Waste managers from the Portuguese
municipality of Oeiras secured LIFE
support to help the municipality test
an innovative scheme that collected
domestic UCO for use as biofuel by the
municipality’s vehicles.
Legislation requires catering compa-
nies and other commercial businesses
using cooking oil to dispose of the oil in
a controlled manner, however, no similar
regulations apply to domestic UCO. As
such, the LIFE project aimed to identify a
voluntary method for reducing negative
impacts of household UCO on waste-
water treatment plants and landfill sites.
Creative waste collection
Initial work involved assessing the scale
of UCO that was discarded by resi-
dents from the mainly urban municipal-
ity which neighbours Lisbon. Creative
thinking and modern technology was
then applied to the challenge of col-
lecting the UCO for recycling. Dedi-
cated UCO containers were designed
and placed at 20 different residential
locations. Each container had a built-in
micro-computer system to measure the
amount of UCO and alert the municipal-
ity’s waste services, via remote sensing
and GIS mapping, when full.
LIFE funds were also used to develop
a prototype centre for converting the
UCO into biodiesel. This involves a
heat-intensive process that reduces
the oil’s viscosity to a similar structure
to fossil fuel diesel. Achieving the cor-
rect viscosity is essential to ensure
proper combustion of the fuel and
avoid damage to the vehicle engine
from excessive carbon residues.
The 1 000 litre prototype processor
successfully converted residential UCO
into biofuel suitable for municipal vehi-
cles. More detailed analysis of the LIFE
project results indicated that the 11 155
kg of UCO collected by the LIFE con-
tainers up until June 2009 significantly
reduced the load of oils and fats (e.g.
52.0 mg/l, compared with 103.2 mg/l)
and hydrocarbons concentrations (e.g.
3.3 mg/l, compared with 11.1 mg/l) in
the wastewater treatment plant. This
represented savings of approximately
€4 000 in the maintenance costs of
the urban sewage system and sewage
treatment plants. Collection of UCO
in the municipality continues after the
end of the project and has reached
some 14 tonnes/month.
Carbon dioxide savings from the bio-
friendly fuel were also noteworthy and
led to an estimated 15% reduction of
CO2 emissions, plus up to 20% reduc-
tions of hydrocarbons. Sulphur dioxide
emissions in the municipality were also
reduced because biodiesel doesn’t
contain sulphur.
Chain reactions
The project has had a high demonstra-
tion value: 11 municipalities from other
parts of the country are now ordering
the high tech UCO containers and
setting up similar voluntary collection
schemes in residential areas. Fur-
thermore, one of the project partners
plans to introduce biofuel in up to 20%
of its transport fleet, as a measure to
reduce the company’s carbon footprint
by 2020.
Portuguese LIFE beneficiaries have demonstrated demand from domestic households for recy-
cling used cooking oil as an effective source of biofuel and the project results have led to useful
savings in both waste management costs as well as municipal emissions.
OIL PRODIESEL: Adding value to household waste cooking oil
Eleven municipalities from other parts of Portugal are ordering UCO contain-ers and setting up similar voluntary col-lection schemes in residential areas
Waste management
Project Number:
LIFE06 ENV/D/000488
Title: Conversion of Waste for use
as construction material for environ-
mentally friendly closing of industrial
landfills
Beneficiary: MDSE
Contact: Markus Einecke
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.conwaste.eu/
Period: Jan-2006 to Dec-2008
Total Budget: e4 473 000
LIFE Contribution: e1 204 000
Best LIFE Environment Projects 2009 I p. ��
CONWASTE: Demonstrating green sealing of landfill sites in GermanyThe CONWASTE project demonstrated the feasibility of using specific volumes of waste material
to produce site-specific sealing and cultivation layers for the closing down of old industrial landfill
sites, without needing to use valuable natural resources.
The closing of landfill sites requires
substantial amounts of technically
defined material. The project’s dem-
onstration area, two large landfill sites
near the towns of Leuna and Schko-
pau in eastern Germany, account for a
surface area of 5 million m² and require
more than 8 million m3 of construction
material to obtain the surface profile
and sealing, and more than 6 million
m3 of top soil for the recultivation layer.
The large-scale closing of landfills
under the EU Waste Disposal Directive
and national legislation in Germany will
require companies to make a major
effort over the next few years.
Moreover, green alternatives have been
tested to cut down on the amount of
natural resources consumed. One
such possibility is to convert the waste
into substitute construction material,
an impervious disposal substance that
can store carbon dioxide.
This system, which had already been
confirmed in laboratory and small-
scale experiments, was demon-
strated on a wider scale during the
CONWASTE project. The LIFE project
introduced an efficient surface seal-
ing system for reducing vertical infil-
tration of precipitation. The sealing
system consists of a mix of mineral
waste, industrial ashes and sludge
from wastewater treatment plants.
The material mix was processed by a
treatment plant located on the site of
the landfill.
Seeking the apply the findings in other landfills
Based on the findings of the project,
the beneficiary has officially applied
for permits to use the sealing and
cover system in other landfills that it
owns in Saxony-Anhalt. If the authori-
ties grant permits for this sealing
system, other landfill sites will also
be able to introduce such a system.
The newly developed surface sealing
system is considerably cheaper than
conventional methods and under real
production conditions with hetero-
geneous source materials the quality
of substitute construction materials
based on waste consistently meets
the required standards.
The environmental benefits of the
project are:
l Utilisation of waste materials by
combining their special characteris-
tics, thus preventing their disposal in
other dumps;
l Elimination of the use of natural
resources, such as clay, sand and
cultivated soils;
l Reduction of the spread of waste
materials in natural surroundings
(e.g. sewage waste as fertiliser) and
thus reduction of the dispersion of
pollutants;
l Creation of a spatially tight network of
waste producers and waste material
exploiters and thus significant reduc-
tion of the dispersion of pollutants
and reduction of transportation; and
l Production of a cultivation layer bio-
mass for renewable energy.
The innovative aspect of the project is
that the production of the substitute
material depends on the location and
type of waste of the disposal. Land-
fills, in particular large old industrial
landfill areas all over Europe, can ben-
efit by adapting the concept and sav-
ing natural soil resources.
The project introduced an efficient surface sealing system for landfills that reduces use of natural resources (e.g. soil) and the dispersion of pollutants (e.g. sewage waste) in natural surroundings
The EU’s Integrated Product Policy (IPP) strategy seeks to minimise the environ-
mental impacts that are associated with the manufacturing, use or disposal of many
products, by looking at all phases of a product’s lifecycle and taking action where it is
most effective. This could be at any stage from the extraction of the raw materials that
go into a product, through to its design, manufacture, assembly, marketing, distribu-
tion, sale and waste management. The driving idea is that it is essential to integrate
environmental impacts at each stage of a product’s lifecycle and that this should be
reflected in the decisions of stakeholders, such as designers, manufacturers, mar-
keters, retailers and consumers. IPP attempts to stimulate each of these individual
phases to improve their environmental performance.
Given the complexity of products and actors there cannot be one simple policy mea-
sure for everything. Instead there are various tools – both voluntary and mandatory
– that can be used to achieve this objective.
Integrated Product Policy (IPP)
Project Number: LIFE05 ENV/NL/000020
Title: HM de Jong – Energy-efficient by Innovative Geometry and HFC-replacing Technology
Beneficiary: De Jong Coldstores (formerly HM de Jong Koelen Vrieshuis)
Contact: Teun Vermetten
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.dejongcoldstores.com
Period: Feb-2005 to Feb-2008
Total Budget: e6 566 000
LIFE Contribution: e640 000
Best LIFE Environment Projects 2009 I p. ��
HEIGHT: Optimal cooling of fresh fruit without HFCsThis innovative Dutch LIFE co-funded project designed and built a new type of cold storage ware-
house for fruit that demonstrates energy savings of up to 75% compared with conventional cold
stores. The system also uses ‘natural refrigerants’ (ammonia and CO2) in place of the extremely
powerful and persistent greenhouse gases, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
In Europe, fresh fruit and vegetables
are commonly kept in cold store ware-
houses. These cold stores are very
energy intensive – in the EU, refrigera-
tion accounts for 10-15% of all indus-
trial electricity use – giving rise to high
carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. They
also leak HFCs, the fastest growing
source of environmental pollution in
the European Union.
The project was implemented by the
newly-named De Jong Coldstores,
a Dutch family-owned firm, which
under its former name (HM de Jong),
has been specialising in the storage
of fresh and frozen local and imported
fruit and vegetables for over 60 years.
Working with Wageningen Univer-
sity and consultancy firms, the cold
storage and logistics firm targeted
significant reductions (70%) in CO2
equivalent emissions for traditional
cold stores through the design and
construction of a new type of fully-
automated cold store warehouse.
The new facility was double the height
of a standard warehouse and incorpo-
rated a specially-designed air circula-
tion system to guarantee a microcli-
mate throughout. An ammonia and
CO2 refrigeration system replaced the
HFC refrigerant.
The main advantages are:
l More efficient air distribution – sav-
ing ventilation energy and the use
of ammonia and CO2 to avoid HFC
refrigerants;
l Less heat transfer through the walls
with a smaller surface/content ratio;
l Minimal energy losses through open
doors;
l Minimal lighting;
l Better use of space so the capi-
tal intensive automated systems
become reasonably priced; and
l A central refrigeration system with
high quality components and energy
efficient control system.
‘Considerable energy savings’
The HEIGHT technology is successfully
operating in the company’s new cold
store in Ridderkerk, close to the port of
Rotterdam. It demonstrates that a high
rise cold store using an ammonia and
CO2 technology offers considerable
energy savings – of around 75% com-
pared with conventional cold stores.
This figure surpassed the original tar-
get of 70% savings.
The concept is highly transferable as
it is applicable to all newly-built cold
stores. Although the initial investment
costs are very high compared with
building a standard cold store, the
project showed that with these sav-
ings – an estimated 5 million kWh/yr,
worth around € 500 000 annually – a
reasonable payback period can be
achieved in 6.5 years.
To date, the new cold store warehouse
has also resulted in the creation of 13
jobs. These jobs are for the most part
more highly skilled (process operators)
than those connected with conventional
cold stores (mainly forklift drivers).
The HEIGHT project demonstrated that a high rise cold store using ammonia and CO2 technology offers energy savings of around 75% compared with conventional cold stores
Project Number: LIFE06 ENV/NL/000176
Title: Demonstrating innova-tive technologies that significantly improve the environmental perform-ance of bearings
Beneficiary: SKF B.V.
Contact: Guillermo Morales
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.skf.com
Period: Jan-2006 to Dec-2008
Total Budget: e4 623 000
LIFE Contribution: e1 072 000
Green Bearings: Developing a new generation of eco-friendly bearingsThis Dutch LIFE Environment project has led to the production of a new generation of high
efficiency bearings for use in motors, pumps, fans and other machinery.
There are thought to be as many as
50 billion of them in use worldwide,
but they are largely invisible, even
though they are a crucial engineer-
ing component. Bearings are used in
practically any technology, from CD-
players to cars, from locomotives to
wind turbines.
Bearings are ubiquitous and this
means that the environmental prob-
lems associated with them are also
widespread. During their production,
energy and resources are consumed
and greenhouse gas emissions pro-
duced. During their use, there is further
energy consumption, and risks arise
from leaking lubricants or defective
parts. When they reach the end of their
life-cycle, bearings must be disposed
of, causing a waste problem, because
old bearings may transfer hazardous
substances into the environment.
The world’s leading supplier of bear-
ings and related products is SKF
Group, headquartered in Gothenburg,
Sweden, but with facilities worldwide.
With assistance from LIFE funding,
SKF aimed to co-ordinate develop-
ment of a new type of high-perform-
ing environmentally friendly bearing at
its Engineering & Research Centre in
Nieuwegein in the central Netherlands.
This was done through the Green Bear-
ings project, which ran from the begin-
ning of 2006 to the end of 2008.
Friction reduction is key
To produce the green bearings, SKF
brought together a number of tech-
nologies, including advanced coat-
ings and sealants, lightweight polymer
materials, and long-lasting, highly
efficient lubricants. Reducing friction
was an important goal, because this
results in a reduction of heat, better
lubrication conditions (meaning fewer
requirements for lubricants) and thus
improved energy efficiency and longer
life for the bearings. The precise shape
of the bearings was therefore closely
examined and modified and low-friction
greases were tested and introduced.
The project covered preparatory activi-
ties, production and demonstration
of prototypes, analysis of prototype
results and subsequent improve-
ments, and the building of a test facil-
ity for large bearings at Nieuwegein.
The result was “green” ball and roller
bearings for use in industrial motors.
One potential application is in wind tur-
bines, and SKF estimates that use of
the bearings in a standard two mega-
watt turbine would help to generate an
extra 2.6 gigawatt hours of electricity
annually. If the green bearings were
used in industrial motors worldwide,
the environmental savings could be
massive: SKF estimates that energy
consumption could be reduced by
2 460 gigawatt hours annually (calcu-
lated from EU and US figures), while
the reduction in waste lubricant grease
could amount to 220 tonnes per year.
The project demonstrated that the
bearings could deliver energy savings
of 30-70% depending on the type of
bearing and load. For motor manu-
facturers they also offer a significant
benefit in that they reduce power loss
at higher speeds, thus improving fuel
efficiency, and enabling the manufac-
turers to offer more efficient products
to their clients.
SKF is now marketing the bearings to
its customers. The company notes that
they may be used in electric motors,
pumps, conveyors and fans, and that
they significantly extend the lifespan
of lubricants, thus cutting down on
resource use. Because they reduce
friction by minimum 30% compared
with standard SKF bearings, they run
for longer periods and save energy.
“The potential for energy savings on a
global scale is huge,” believes SKF.
The project produced “green” ball and roller bearings used in motors for wind turbines. The beneficiary estimates that use of the bearings in a standard 2 MW turbine would help it generate an extra 2.6 GW-hr/yr of electricity
Integrated Product Policy
Project Number: LIFE05 ENV/IT/000937
Title: Strategy for agricultural prod-ucts identity defence. Wide area protection of agriculture products identity from Gmo pollution
Beneficiary: ASSAM (Agenzia Servizi Settore Agroalimentare Marche)
Contact: Emilio Romagnoli
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.sapidlife.org
Period: Nov-2005 to Apr-2009
Total Budget: e812 000
LIFE Contribution: e400 000
Best LIFE Environment Projects 2009 I p. 4�
SAPID: Preventing GMO contamination of cropsThe SAPID project focused on preventing contamination of non-GMO crops with genetically modi-
fied organisms (GMOs). It devised tools for developing effective measures to prevent cross-con-
tamination and demonstrated that contamination levels below 0.9% are possible.
The use of GMOs in crop modification
is a particular concern. Our under-
standing of genetic flux – the diffusion
of GMOs into the natural environment,
changing the genetic makeup of other
crops – is inadequate. It is impossible
for agri-food processors to guarantee
totally GMO-free products and tools
are vital for ensuring that levels of con-
tamination are within legal limits.
As a first step towards improving
knowledge of GMO contamination, the
project examined the entire agricultural
chain from production to product com-
mercialisation. Its team analysed the
use of GMOs in the agricultural sec-
tor and prevention of contamination of
non-GMO foods. They then identified
possible monitoring, control and sur-
vey methods aimed at preserving the
genetic identity of non-GMO foods.
On-site experiments were carried
out at the 1 000 ha project site in the
Marche region of Italy to assess the
validity of these methods. The project
brought together multiple stakeholders
to work towards its ambitious aims.
The project identified critical aspects
of the co-existence of GMOs and non-
GMOs to develop tools for providing
information about measures to pre-
vent contamination. The tools can be
applied to all agricultural sectors – and
geographical locations – and also to
the commercialisation stage.
Risk index
Another success of the project was the
creation of an Index of Contamination
Risks from GMOs, which takes into
account the particular characteristics
of the given landscape and agriculture.
It also developed an Identity Preserva-
tion System, which is a practical tool
for identifying the necessary measures
to avoid contamination of non-GMO
crops. These tools, together with
ad hoc software (MARCO) that was
also produced, are especially useful
for designing co-existence plans for
GMOs and their subsequent monitor-
ing and improvement. Moreover, they
are highly transferable.
The project concluded that the only
way to be 100% certain of preserv-
ing non-GMO products is to avoid
co-existence and create GMO-free
districts, covering the entire chain
from agricultural production to prod-
uct commercialisation. The benefici-
ary, the public agency ASSAM (Agen-
zia Servizi Settore Agroalimentare
Marche), produced guidelines for
creating such districts, which can be
used everywhere in Europe. Where
co-existence could not be avoided,
the beneficiary demonstrated that, by
adopting appropriate measures, GMO
levels below the threshold of 0.9% are
achievable in the food chain. Based on
estimates of how much it would cost
to implement the Identity Preserva-
tion System, the project believes that
consumers would be willing to accept
price increases for produce protected
in this way. This should allow farmers
to preserve organic and conventional
production and related incomes.
The SAPID project analysed the tech-
nical and juridical aspects of co-exist-
ence in agriculture, which was com-
plicated by changing national and
European regulations on GMO use.
However, such developments pre-
sented an opportunity: the Marche
region intends to approve a new law
based on the project’s findings. The
law will cover the establishment of
GMO-free districts and, as proposed
by the beneficiary, will refer to the
chain “from the seed to the consumer”
and thus go beyond existing EU rec-
ommendations, which run “from the
seed to the first commercialisation
step”.
The project team developed tools for providing information about measures to prevent GMO contamination
Project Number: LIFE06 ENV/L/000121
Title: Energy Efficient Building Systems
Beneficiary: DuPont Luxembourg
Contact: Wim Maes
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.effenergy.dupont.com
Period: Dec-2005 to Nov-2008
Total Budget: e5 610 000
LIFE Contribution: e1 510 000
EFFENERGY: Insulating against climate changeThe Effenergy project successfully developed two new products for improving the thermal per-
formance of existing buildings. A panel containing a phase change material and reflective insula-
tion technologies were successfully demonstrated as means of reducing energy consumption for
the heating of buildings, a key requirement for meeting Europe’s climate change objectives.
Supplying buildings with heat and
light consumes over 40% of the
energy used in the EU: heating and
cooling buildings accounts for 70%
of this total, producing 35% of all EU
greenhouse gas emissions. The LIFE
Effenergy project sought to meet the
challenge of improving the energy effi-
ciency of existing buildings, one of the
most cost-effective means of contrib-
uting to the EU’s Kyoto commitments.
Thermal-mass panels
The project developed a thermal-mass
panel based on a wax-polymer blend.
It consists of a compound containing
paraffin wax, a phase change mate-
rial. The wax melts, absorbing heat,
as temperatures rise and re-solidifies,
releasing heat back into the internal
environment, as temperatures cool.
The project partner, Polytechs, used
a batch process to test and optimise
production of the blend. A new tumble
blender was installed to enable a con-
tinuous mixing process and increase
productivity, coupled with a system for
granulation of the rubbery compound.
Another partner, ETEM, developed and
improved the panel-production proc-
ess of feeding through two aluminium
foils. The dies were modified to ensure
the correct thickness of 5.2mm was
achieved and other techniques intro-
duced so that the panels could be cut
cleanly and damage avoided.
The panels were independently tested
using a house with two identical attics.
The panelled attic enjoyed a tempera-
ture decrease of up to 7°C in the sum-
mer, whilst over the winter the total
energy required to keep it at a constant
temperature of 20°C was 8% less. The
panels also successfully passed rigor-
ous independent fire, compression and
ageing tests. The panels may be retro-
fitted into existing buildings and the
return on investment would most often
remain under 10 years, not including
any green subsidies available.
Reflective technology insulation
The project partners designed a
breathable weather-barrier mem-
brane - DuPont Climate Systems - as
a reflective insulation technology for
roofs and walls. The membrane’s insu-
lation envelope is designed to reflect
external heat away from the building
in summer, reduce radiant heat losses
from the building in winter and prevent
uncontrolled air filtration through the
building. The high vapour permeability
of the materials used in the insulation
envelope prevents any risk of intersti-
tial condensation.
Independent testing found that the
thermal performance of the wall cavi-
ties with the new metallised products
was impressive, particularly for roofs
set up with the outside reflective
underlay. The conclusions suggested
that the current ISO 6946 standard
greatly underestimates the potential
thermal benefits from reflective tech-
nologies.
Following the success of the tests,
DuPont has proposed to include emis-
sivity as a new property in the Euro-
pean Standard EN 13859-1/2 that cov-
ers the application of flexible sheeting
as a roof underlay or wall membrane.
DuPont is participating in a CEN work-
ing group on this topic.
The challenge in the Effenergy project
was to achieve acceptance of an inno-
vative concept in the (rather conserva-
tive) construction market. Creating
awareness and understanding among
architects and engineering offices is a
long process. LIFE enabled the part-
ners to bring this concept to market,
bridging the time from product devel-
opment to product commercialisation.The Effenergy project successfully developed new technologies for improving the thermal performance of existing buildings
Integrated Product Policy
Best LIFE Environment Projects 2009 I p. 4�
Available LIFE publications
LIFE building up Europe’s green infra-structure: Addressing connectivity and enhancing ecosystem functions (2010 - 60 pp. - ISBN 978-92-79-15719-6)
Water for life - LIFE for water: Protect-ing Europe’s water resources (2010 - 68 pp. - ISBN 978-92-79-15238-2)
LIFE improving the conservation sta-tus of species and habitats: Habitats Directive Article 17 report (2010 - 84 pp. - ISBN 978-92-79-13572-9)
LIFE among the olives: Good practice in improving environmental perfor-mance in the olive oil sector (2010 - 56 pp. - ISBN 978-92-79-14154-6 - ISSN 1725-5619)
LIFE and Europe’s reptiles and amphib-ians: Conservation in practice (2009 – 60 pp. - ISBN 978-92-79-12567-6)
Getting more from less: LIFE and sus-tainable production in the EU (2009 - 40pp. - ISBN 978-92-79-12231-6 - ISSN 1725-5619)
Breathing LIFE into greener businesses: Demonstrating innovative approaches to improving the environmental perfor-mance of European businesses (2008 - 60pp. - ISBN 978-92-79-10656-9 - ISSN 1725-5619)
LIFE on the farm: Supporting envi-ronmentally sustainable agriculture in Europe (2008 - 60 pp. - 978-92-79-08976-3)
LIFE and endangered plants: Conserv-ing Europe’s threatened flora (2007 - 52 pp. - ISBN 978-92-79-08815-5)
LIFE and Europe’s wetlands: Restoring a vital ecosystem (2007 - 68 pp. - ISBN 978-92-79-07617-6)
LIFE and waste recycling: Innovative waste management options in Europe (2007 - 60 pp. - ISBN 978-92-79-07397-7)
LIFE and Europe’s rivers: Protecting and improving our water resources (2007 – 52pp. ISBN 978-92-79-05543-0 - ISSN 1725-5619)
LIFE and Energy: Innovative solutions for sustainable and efficient energy in Europe (2007 – 64pp. ISBN 978 92-79-04969-9 - ISSN 1725-5619)
LIFE-Third Countries 1992-2006 (2007, 64 pp. – ISBN 978-92-79-05694-9 – ISSN 1725-5619)
LIFE and the marine environment (2006 – 54pp. ISBN 92-79-03447-2- ISSN 1725-5619)
LIFE and European forests (2006 - 68pp. ISBN 92-79-02255-5 - ISSN 1725-5619)
LIFE in the City: Innovative solutions for Europe’s urban environment (2006, 64pp. - ISBN 92-79-02254-7 – ISSN 1725-5619)
Integrated management of Natura 2000 sites (2005 - 48 pp. – ISBN 92-79-00388-7)
LIFE, Natura 2000 and the military (2005 - 86 pp. – ISBN 92-894-9213-9 – ISSN 1725-5619)
Best LIFE Environment projects 2008-2009 (2009 – 32 pp. – ISBN 978-92-79-13109-7 – ISSN 1725-5619)
Best LIFE Environment projects 2007-2008 (2008 – 44 pp. – ISBN 978-92-79-09325-8 – ISSN 1725-5619)
Best LIFE Environment Projects 2006-2007 (2007 – 44 pp. – ISBN 978-92-79-06699-3 – ISSN 1725-5619)
Best LIFE Environment Projects 2005-2006 (2006 – 40 pp. – ISBN 92-79-02123-0)
Best LIFE Environment Projects 2004-2005 (2005 – 44 pp. – ISBN 92-79-00889-7)
Environment Policy & Governance Projects 2009 compilation (2010, 125 pp.-ISBN 978-92-79-13884-3)
Information & Communication Proj-ects 2009 compilation (2010, 14 pp.-ISBN 978-92-79-16138-4)
Nature & Biodiversity Projects 2009 compilation (2009, 91 pp. – ISBN 978-92-79-16139-1)
Other publicationsLIFE-Focus brochures
A number of LIFE publications are available on the LIFE website: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/publications/lifepublications/index.htm
A number of printed copies of certain LIFE publications are available and can be ordered free-of-charge at: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/publications/order.htm
LIFE+ “L’Instrument Financier pour l’Environnement” / The financial instrument for the environment
Period covered (LIFE+) 2007-2013.
EU funding available approximately EUR 2 143 million
Type of intervention at least 78% of the budget is for co-financing actions in favour of the environment (LIFE+ projects) in the Member States of the European Union and in certain non-EU countries.
LIFE+ projects> LIFE+ Nature projects improve the conservation status of endangered species and natural habitats. They support the
implementation of the Birds and Habitats Directives and the Natura 2000 network.> LIFE+ Biodiversity projects improve biodiversity in the EU. They contribute to the implementation of the objectives of
the Commission Communication, “Halting the loss of Biodiversity by 2010 – and beyond” (COM (2006) 216 final). > LIFE+ Environment Policy and Governance projects contribute to the development and demonstration of innovative
policy approaches, technologies, methods and instruments in support of European environmental policy and legislation.> LIFE+ Information and Communication projects are communication and awareness raising campaigns related to the
implementation, updating and development of European environmental policy and legislation, including the prevention of forest fires and training for forest fire agents.
Further information on LIFE and LIFE+ is available at http://ec.europa.eu/life.
How to apply for LIFE+ funding The European Commission organises annual calls for proposals. Full details are available at http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/funding/lifeplus.htm
Contact European Commission – Directorate-General for the Environment
LIFE Unit – BU-9 02/1 – B-1049 Brussels – Internet: http://ec.europa.eu/life
Life Focus / Best LIFE Environment Projects 2009
Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2010
ISBN 978-92-79-16577-1 doi 10.2779/53035
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